The Danger of Wealth

Lakewood – the danger of wealth

In our society, we are preoccupied with fulfilling our own desires. This creates a significant challenge, as the Torah emphasizes focusing on the desires and needs of others.

Our plight – motivation through personal desires

In our educational system and societal mindset, motivation is driven by personal desire—achieving what we want. However, the Torah teaches a fundamentally different approach: “Do because Hashem wants it” or, in interpersonal relationships, “Do what your friend desires.” This contrasts sharply with the culture around us, which proclaims, “Everyone should achieve their desires in this world!” As a result, when we hear the Torah’s call to align with Hashem’s will, it can feel overwhelming, and we perceive it as “religious extremism”, because it challenges our deeply ingrained focus on personal goals.

The real challenge of Olam Hazeh (The temporal world we live in)

The real challenge of Olam Hazeh for us is not the existence of gashmius (the physical) but rather is the ability to pursue whatever we want. After all, the Torah’s issue is not inherently with gashmius, as we see from the era of techiyas hameisim (resurrection of the dead), gashmius will exist in holiness.

In today’s educational system, even in matters of ruchniyus, we motivate people by appealing to their personal desires—“do it because you want to.”

This mentality also contributes to the shidduch crisis. Men often seek a partner who matches their preconceived image of a “soulmate,” focusing on their own desires rather than embracing the great joy of living with another person, whose unique and different personality and viewpoint is a central part of the home. 

Tragically, this mentality extends to our relationship to Torah, where we attempt to keep the Torah while still pursuing our personal desires.

The root of the matter is yiras shamayim

This issue expresses itself in our struggle with yiras shamayim. Yiras shamayim is “that koach (element) which brings into one’s life that Hashem wants something from you.” Yiras shamayim is not something static; it requires constant pursuit. The moment one stops actively searching for it, it is lost. The act of searching itself constitutes the understanding of yiras shamayim, as the verse states: “If you seek it like silver… then you will understand the fear of Hashem” (Mishlei 2:4-5).

The question before us is: how do we bring yiras shamayim into our lives and into the education of our children? While ahavas Hashem is certainly important, we must not make it the sole focus of education, nor should we conflate it as we often do, with ahavas atzmo (self-love), which centers on personal motivation and desire. Educating to do Torah and Mitzvos because of the “geshmak” (joy) we get from them falls into this category of ahavas atzmo without the yiras shamayim!

To return to the proper mehalech (approach) in education, we must shift away from the exclusive focus on internal motivation, which is fundamentally self-centered. The Torah demands that we follow an external ratzon (will)—that of Hashem’s—rather than our own. This stands in stark contrast to the Olam Hazeh mentality, where the ultimate goal is achieving everything one personally wants.

Wealth is a blessing only when accompanied by bitachon

The Vilna Gaon explains in his siddur that the entirety of Shemoneh Esrei is focused on Olam Hazeh rather than Olam Haba (the World to Come). In the bracha for the righteous, when we pray that they should receive “schar tov,” (good reward) the Vilna Gaon therefore clarifies that this refers to material wealth.

Here is the prayer:

וְעַל הַצַּדִּיקִים וְעַל הַחֲסִידִים וְעַל זִקְנֵי עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל פְּלֵיטַת בֵּית סוֹפְרֵיהֶם וְעַל גֵּרֵי הַצֶּדֶק וְעָלֵינוּ יֶהֱמוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ ה’ אֱלֹקֵינוּ. וְתֵן שָׂכָר טוֹב לְכָל הַבּוֹטְחִים בְּשִׁמְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת, וְשִׂים חֶלְקֵֽנוּ עִמָּהֶם, וְלֹא נֵבוֹשׁ כִּי בְךָ בָטָחְנוּ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, מִשְׁעָן וּמִבְטַח לַצַּדִּיקִים.

Here is the translation:

“And upon the righteous, and upon the pious, and upon the elders of Your people, the House of Israel, and upon the remnant of their sages, and upon the righteous converts, and upon us—may Your mercies be aroused, Hashem our God. Give a good reward to all who trust in Your Name in truth, and place our portion among them, and let us not be ashamed, for we have trusted in You. Blessed are You, Hashem, the support and trust of the righteous.”

Here is our takeaway:

“Give reward to all those who seek and rely on You truthfully,” emphasizes the critical point: wealth is a blessing only when accompanied by bitachon (trust in Hashem).

Without bitachon, wealth becomes a means to pursue personal desires, disconnecting a person from Hashem. True bitachon, however, ensures that material blessings are used to further the agenda of the Creator, forging a deep connection with Him.

Without pushing the agenda from Hashem, wealth kills! The tefila continues “we should not have embarrassment” that means an exposure of our flaws, this will not occur if we push the agenda of Hashem, but it will occur if we engage in the unbridled pursuit of our personal desires.

We are now able to pose the following question on the pasuk:

“Because you did not serve Hashem with happiness… with great wealth” (Devarim 28:47).

What is the Torah’s issue with us for not serving Hashem joyfully with our wealth, especially when other pesukim indicate that wealth leads to rebellion against Hashem? How can wealth be both a reason to serve Hashem joyfully and a potential cause for distancing ourselves from Him? 

As we have already made progress towards answering this riddle, I will leave you with it to think about yourself.

The key to satisfying our ratzon

In Ashrei, three times a day, we recite, “Poseach es yadecha umasbi’a le’kol chai ratzon” (You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing), but what does this pasuk truly mean? How can Hashem “satisfy desires” when, by nature, desire is insatiable? As Chazal teach us, “One who has 100 coins, desires 200 coins!”

Rashi offers a profound insight: “Poseach es YUD-ECHA”— this refers to the two yudim of Hashem. One yud signifies Hashem’s machshava (thought) for the ultimate tachlis (purpose) of the world, and the second yud reflects how Hashem interacts with the world. When these two yud’s come together we see how we are part of Hashem’s bigger picture.

This is the answer to our question on the pasuk! When we see that our own small little world is part of the bigger world which Hashem wants then we don’t want anything else. Our ratzon is satisfied. It is satisfied because we are connected to something bigger. 

The key to educating ourselves and our children lies in recognizing that we are part of something greater—Klal Yisrael, our spouse, our community, a higher purpose. When we internalize this connection, the desires of others are no longer seen as burdensome. Instead, we align with Hashem’s will and understand that the will of another is significant.

This leads to a deeper perspective in marriage: we don’t act according to our spouse’s wishes “because we love them”, but rather because we are one unit. My spouse’s will is “koveya” (establishes a trajectory) for me.

The key to connecting to the bigger picture

Our avodah is to educate ourselves and our children to feel connected to something greater. With this mindset, they will be able to understand, accept, and appreciate that the obligations of life and Torah often don’t align with their personal desires. 

The key to fostering a connection is to feel actively involved in the endeavor. When a child feels that their opinion matters and their actions are important within the family, they naturally feel connected. Many people mistakenly believe that exciting experiences, like a trip to an amusement park, create connection. However, excitement doesn’t bring connection, as each person experiences it in their own way. Real connection happens when I emphasize to my child that their input is valued or during shared experiences, such as observing something in nature together. These moments forge connection.

When we feel connected to a bigger picture, we naturally accept that the desires of others can set the course for us. As we’ve discussed, wealth can undermine this mindset, which is why the Shemoneh Esrei blessing teaches us that the antidote to the challenge of wealth is bitachon; meaning Hashem’s ratzon being koveyah for us. This concept of bitachon is essential not only in the context of wealth, but also as a core element of yiras shamayim and avodas Hashem.

Beis medrash programs motivate through the fulfillment of personal desires

Our educational systems are overwhelmed by a focus on “motivation.” Even in beis medrash programs, our boys feel they need immediate satisfaction from their learning—expecting to fully understand every tosafos, i.e. they are looking for sipuk hanefesh (sense of inner fulfillment) from each tosafos they learn. This stands in contrast to the proper attitude of “I learn because I need to learn,” regardless of whether I gain immediate satisfaction or complete understanding. Sadly, our beis medrash boys don’t feel a sense of responsibility to learn all of maseches (tractate) Yevamos; instead, they are taught that the goal of learning is to have a geshmak (joy) in it.