From the Rabbi’s Study
Tishah B’Av to Rosh HaShanah: What Money Cannot Buy
Business people once met for dinner some years ago and began to discuss money. One successful and aggressive business mogul made the statement that money can buy everything. In fact, he wrote out a check for five thousand dollars and told his dinner companions that they could have it if they could convince him that there were four desirable things that money could not possibly buy.
One colleague called the waiter over, borrowed his pen, and on the back of the menu listed four things that money could not buy: a baby’s smile; youth after it is gone; the love of a good person; entrance into heaven. Without another word the business mogul handed over the check.
Yes, it is important to understand what money can do, but it is just as vital to comprehend what money cannot do.
The seven weeks that begin following Tishah B’Av (August 6-7) and that lead us into Rosh HaShanah and the new Jewish year is the time for us to start reflecting on our lives. As part of that reflection, we might consider what our goals in life are, what our relationship to money has been, and how these two things intersect.
Such reflection will help us with the continued development of the skill of knowing how to spend wisely both our money and our time. Let us consider:
We spend more money on eye make-up than on research. This suggests that we are more interested in how we look rather than how we see.
We spend more time watching videos on social media than we do reading. This suggests that we would rather be entertained than challenged to think.
We spend more energy in managing our money than in making life worthwhile. This suggests that we are more concerned with our finances than our feelings.
Here is my list of 108 things money cannot buy. This is 18 (chai or “life”) x 6 (days of the week).
| admiration | ethical choices | home | love | resilience | social intelligence |
| appreciation | fairness | honesty | love of learning | resoluteness | spirituality |
| bravery | feeling appreciated | honor | loyalty | respect | talent |
| character | flexibility | hope | manners | religiosity | teamwork |
| charm | forgiveness | humanity | mazel/luck | second chance | temperance |
| class | friendship | humility | mindfulness | self-awareness | time |
| clear conscience | godliness | humor | motivation | self-control | transcendence |
| common sense | good health | inner beauty | new beginnings | self-discipline | true friends |
| community | good idea | inner peace | open mind | self-esteem | trust |
| compassion | good judgment | integrity | passion | self-reliance | trustworthiness |
| confidence | good karma | intimacy | patience | self-regulation | truth |
| contentment | good memories | justice
|
peace
(shalom) |
self-reliance | a 25-hour day/more time |
| courage | a good name | kindness | perseverance | selflessness
(altruism) |
wisdom |
| creativity | graciousness | leadership | perspective | sense of humor | work ethic |
| curiosity | gratitude | learning | piety | sense of purpose | work-life balance |
| derekh eretz
(decency) |
grit | life | positive attitude | sense of responsibility | your place in the world |
| emotional steadiness | healthful relationships | life satisfaction | prudence | serenity (calm) | youth |
| empathy | holiness | life well-lived | quality time with others | sh’lom bayit (family bliss) | zest |
Perhaps we can pick seven and reflect and work on these during the seven weeks before the New Year, so that the New Year might be a year of goodness and a year of blessing.
May we learn to spend our resources with good judgment, our energy thoughtfully, and our time wisely. As a result, may this coming New Year be one that matters.
Rabbi J.B. Sacks