financial strategies, re-thinking our financial goals, and taking those first, disciplined steps to make wiser financial choices. Whatever, small steps can and do yield a larger reward. As the Yiddish proverb states: א א א A little and a little makes a full bowl. – But I must also share with you some counterintuitive Jewish financial advice. There is a popular saying: You always remember your first time. Well, during the course of my rabbinic education, I took numerous Talmud courses, but the Talmud course I remember most vividly is the very first one I took, during my first semester of rabbinical school. We were studying the fourth and third chapters of the tractate Megillah, which deals with the laws of Torah readings and synagogues. In the middle of one class the professor went off on a tangent and began to discuss giving tzedakah, charity. He said and I will never forget his words have found that whenever – – “I I give God finds a way of paying me back usually more than I He tzedakah gave.” then shared with us that he had recently noticed that whenever he has given shortly afterwards he would receive invitations to give a guest lecture, or tzedakah, serve as a scholar-in-residence, or was awarded a fellowship. He realized that this was way of rewarding him for sharing with others by donating Of tzedakah. God’s course, as he emphasized to us, one must not give in expectation of, or as tzedakah a for, receiving a more munificent reward from God. But quid pro quo nonetheless, he stressed, if we give out of the goodness of our hearts, God tzedakah will do His share to make sure we do not suffer any loss thereby.
financial strategies, re-thinking our financial goals, and taking those first, disciplined steps to make wiser financial choices. Whatever, small steps can and do yield a larger reward. As the Yiddish proverb states: א א א – A little and a little makes a full bowl. But I must also share with you some counterintuitive Jewish financial advice. There is a popular saying: You always remember your first time. Well, during the course of my rabbinic education, I took numerous Talmud courses, but the Talmud course I remember most vividly is the very first one I took, during my first semester of rabbinical school. We were studying the fourth and third chapters of the tractate Megillah, which deals with the laws of Torah readings and synagogues. In the middle of one class the professor went off on a tangent and began to discuss tzedakah, giving charity. He said – and I will never forget his words – “I have found that whenever I give tzedakah God finds a way of paying me back usually more than I gave.” He then shared with us that he had recently noticed that whenever he has given tzedakah, shortly afterwards he would receive invitations to give a guest lecture, or serve as a scholar-in-residence, or was awarded a fellowship. He realized that this was God’s way of rewarding him for sharing with others by donating tzedakah. Of course, as he emphasized to us, one must not give tzedakah in expectation of, or as a quid pro quo for, receiving a more munificent reward from God. But nonetheless, he stressed, if we give tzedakah out of the goodness of our hearts, God will do His share to make sure we do not suffer any loss thereby.
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