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Video lesson

Judaism on Money

10 Jewish Business Commandments

Drawing on the scriptural and traditional Jewish references embedded within them.

 


1. Accountability and Resilience

  • Principle: Take full accountability for one’s own circumstances without blaming others, even in adversity.
  • Example: In Jewish history, even after tragic events like the Holocaust, the Jewish community focused on rebuilding with hope rather than resentment.
  • Inspiration: This aligns with the wisdom of Proverbs 24:16, “For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.” This resilience is about learning and progressing through one’s own actions.

2. Pursuit of Abundance

  • Principle: Aspire to God-like abundance, embodying growth and limitless potential.
  • Explanation: In Jewish tradition, God’s nature is seen as abundant and infinite. By aiming for abundance, there is an acknowledgment of life’s blessings and the intent to live fully.
  • Inspiration: Deuteronomy 28:12 promises, “The Lord will open for you His good treasure,” symbolizing an abundant life that is encouraged in Jewish teachings.

3. Teaching Children to Earn Honestly

  • Principle: Educate children on financial responsibility and honest work to prevent reliance on others or dishonest means.
  • Explanation: Teaching practical skills empowers self-reliance and integrity. The Talmud in Kiddushin 29a emphasizes, “A father must teach his son a trade,” to prevent unethical behaviors borne from financial necessity.

4. Choosing Ethical (Kosher) Businesses

  • Principle: Engage in businesses that are both profitable and align with ethical (kosher) values.
  • Explanation: This avoids industries that could compromise moral principles. By choosing “kosher” businesses, one ensures they can take pride in their work.
  • Inspiration: The concept of ethical business is supported in Leviticus 19:2, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy,” guiding moral and ethical behavior in all areas of life.

5. Entrepreneurial Independence

  • Principle: Strive for self-employment or entrepreneurship to maintain independence and freedom.
  • Explanation: This principle is based on the idea that ultimate allegiance should only be to God, not to another human being. The Torah (Exodus 21:6) describes the practice of a freed servant choosing to remain in service as a sign of loyalty, which is discouraged.
  • Inspiration: “You shall not have any other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3), emphasizing that one’s only master should be God, reflecting the importance of self-sufficiency.

6. Supporting One’s Community

  • Principle: Prioritize community support by doing business within one’s own circle where possible.
  • Explanation: Strengthening economic ties within a community builds mutual prosperity, loyalty, and trust.
  • Inspiration: The Talmud, Bava Metzia 71a, states, “If you lend money to any of My people among you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor,” emphasizing support for community members.

7. Choosing Low-Risk, High-Margin Businesses

  • Principle: Select businesses with good profit margins, manageable risk, and less competition to ensure stability and balanced living.
  • Explanation: This principle underlines the importance of a balanced life, where business should support a fulfilling life, not dominate it.
  • Inspiration: Ecclesiastes 7:16-17 warns, “Do not be overly righteous…nor overly wicked,” which can also apply to balance in business, where risk should be taken responsibly, without compromising other aspects of life.

8. Honesty in All Dealings

  • Principle: Practice honesty and integrity as fundamental business values.
  • Explanation: Integrity builds long-lasting relationships and reputations, reinforcing a business’s durability.
  • Inspiration: One of the Ten Commandments states, “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15), which is expanded upon in various Jewish texts to include honesty in all dealings, as “an eye that sees, an ear that hears” are recording all actions (Pirkei Avot 2:1).

9. Commitment to Charity (Tzedakah)

  • Principle: Share financial success through charitable giving, creating a cycle of blessing and gratitude.
  • Explanation: Charity is seen not just as a duty but as a way of partnering with God, as it aligns personal wealth with divine purpose.
  • Inspiration: Proverbs 19:17 states, “One who is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed.” This gives a clear biblical endorsement of generosity.

10. Trust in God’s Provision

  • Principle: Have faith in God’s plan, allowing for boldness in business and life choices.
  • Explanation: Trusting God provides the courage to make ambitious choices, reinforcing confidence even in uncertain circumstances.
  • Inspiration: Psalm 37:5 encourages, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.” This mindset supports a faith-based approach to decision-making, empowering one to act decisively with trust in divine support.

These principles, grounded in timeless Jewish teachings, encourage a balanced approach to wealth, grounded in ethics, community support, and faith. Embracing such values promotes not only financial success but also a life rich in meaning and integrity.

 

 

The Spiritual Code of Wealth

Unlocking Wealth: The Jewish Secret to Abundance through Charity

In a world increasingly enamored with fast money and instant success, the ancient wisdom of financial prosperity often feels eclipsed. Yet, navigating through the rich heritage of the Jewish community reveals lessons as timeless as the Torah itself. This lesson dives deep into the intriguing concept that the secret to true wealth lies not in accumulation but in generosity—the act of charity, or Tzedakah. Understanding this profound principle may not only shift personal financial paradigms but also resonate within the broader context of today’s economic landscape, especially amidst the rise of decentralized finance and cryptocurrencies. As part of the Crypto Is FIRE (CFIRE) training program, this exploration seeks to intertwine age-old traditions with modern creative expressions of wealth.

Tzedakah: The Hidden Key to Prosperity and Success

The lesson unfolds by affirming the Jewish community’s unique relationship with wealth, tracing its roots back to biblical stories and religious teachings. The central thesis presents charity—Tzedakah—as the essential key to unlocking abundance and wealth. The narrative highlights that surprising financial growth often stems not from strict adherence to traditional business principles but rather from a profound commitment to giving. Through compelling personal anecdotes, the lesson illustrates how the act of giving can create a ripple effect, manifesting unexpected returns. Intriguing statements challenge conventional wisdom, suggesting that “giving money actually gives us back more,” positioning generosity as a foundational component of true wealth.

The Strengths of the Argument

The discussion offers several compelling points that enhance understanding of wealth dynamics:

  1. Generosity as a Catalyst for Success: The claim that “generous people are more successful” aligns with psychological studies demonstrating that altruism can improve happiness and personal satisfaction, which may indirectly fuel professional success. For instance, companies that adopt corporate social responsibility (CSR) often find enhanced brand loyalty and employee engagement, forging a path to heightened profits. This mirrors the Jewish concept wherein giving enables wealth accumulation rather than detracts from it.

  2. The Divine Mechanism of Blessings: The assertion that there exists “a hack in the matrix” invites exploration of spiritual financial laws. By positioning the act of giving as being divinely rewarded, followers are motivated to embrace philanthropy not merely as charitable actions but rather as calculated investments in their own prosperity—akin to the symbolic act of sowing seeds for a future harvest.

  3. Testing God with Charity: Using the premise of ‘testing God’ through acts of charity flips conventional giving on its head. This perspective can be reframed in modern terms; applying this philosophy can resemble strategic business risk-taking, where entrepreneurs invest in community support initiatives expecting returns at higher scales. The idea suggests a fundamental belief in abundance, emphasizing that the universe rewards bold generosity.

  4. Community-Based Wealth Dynamics: The narrative emphasizes how the act of giving not only impacts individual lives but also strengthens community ties. It fosters a sense of belonging and shared purpose, which in turn contributes to a robust economy. The rise of network-driven economies—such as those within the crypto sphere—resonates with this communal notion, where offerings and collaborations create a broader wealth ecosystem.

Connections to Cryptocurrency and Blockchain

When diving into the world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain, the principles discussed resonate significantly.

  • Decentralized Finance (DeFi): The concept of mutual aid thrives in DeFi, often characterized by an ethos of community collaboration. Here, the principles of Tzedakah could find a new realm of application, where contributions promote shared wealth accumulation. Governance in decentralized networks often thrives on altruistic contributions and communal support, paralleling traditional giving.

  • Tokenized Charity: Projects like Crypto Charity and GiveCrypto.io allow individuals to contribute directly to charitable projects using blockchain technology, ensuring transparency and accessibility. Similar to the lessons shared, many blockchain initiatives create a regenerative wealth cycle that embodies the spirit of Tzedakah; as wealth is shared, it can return manifold.

  • Sustainability and Impact Investing: The growing trend of impact investing echoes themes of Tzedakah, signaling a shift wherein investors seek returns that align with ethical practices. Strategies in both cryptocurrency and traditional finance increasingly emphasize long-term value creation through societal impact—evidence that a communal approach is gaining traction even in around spaces purportedly ruled by individual gains.

Broader Implications and Future Outlook

The concepts explored in this lesson carry broader implications for finance and society:

  1. Shaping Financial Norms: As more individuals adopt the principle of giving as a means of wealth generation, we may witness a paradigm shift in how financial success is defined. Success may increasingly be viewed through the lens of community enrichment rather than mere accumulation of wealth.

  2. Societal Impact: In a climate of growing inequality, the idea of wealth redistribution through structured philanthropic efforts could foster greater social responsibility among affluent individuals and corporations, potentially addressing systemic societal issues.

  3. Technological Influence: Emerging technologies could significantly reshape the financial landscape. Tools such as decentralized philanthropic networks can catalyze collective action. This evolution could bring Tzedakah principles closer to the mainstream, reinforcing traditional perspectives in contemporary settings.

  4. Predictions for Future Trends: As new generations embrace financial independence and digital currencies, there is a potential movement towards collaborative wealth-building strategies. Expect innovative charitable structures powered by blockchain technology, empowering communities and catalyzing wealth creation through shared success.

Personal Commentary and Insights

From my experience observing the intersection of finance and philanthropy, embracing the concept of Tzedakah reshapes one’s approach to wealth profoundly. I have always believed in the power of community; financial success should serve a greater purpose. Investing in people and initiatives often yields returns that go beyond monetary metrics.

In an age dominated by digital currencies and the allure of instant gratification, teaching others about the transformative power of giving becomes essential. I’ve witnessed individuals embrace the principles of charity not just as financial strategies but as a core life philosophy. This perspective fosters not only sustainable wealth but also the values that tie communities together, making pushing boundaries surrounded by collaboration seem possible.

Conclusion

In this exploration, we uncover key takeaways that emphasize the profound role of charity in wealth creation. The timeless principles of Tzedakah hold transformational power not only for the individual but for broader society. As we navigate shifting financial landscapes, particularly in the realm of cryptocurrencies, integrating the tenets of generosity and community engagement opens avenues for unlimited growth and enriching lives. By viewing wealth as a vessel for abundance—rooted in philanthropic action—stakeholders become catalysts for change within their communities, highlighting the timeless potential of charity.

Quotes:

  1. “The key secret is my charity that I give.”
  2. “When you give, you give for fun and for free, with no expectation of getting anything in return.”
  3. “Once you test God, and once you see the blessings explode in your life, you will never be able to go back to a regular life again.”

Continue to Next Lesson

As we proceed through the Crypto Is FIRE (CFIRE) training program, the next lesson promises to expand your understanding of combining traditional financial wisdom with innovative crypto strategies for holistic wealth management. Stay tuned for deeper insights and actionable takeaways!

 

Unleashing Wealth: The Jewish Secret to Financial Success

Throughout history, Jews have often been perceived as masters of finance, navigating the intricate world of wealth creation with an astuteness that has drawn admiration and ire. At the heart of this remarkable success lies a profound spiritual principle rooted in the teachings of the Torah – a principle that not only resonates through centuries of tradition but also finds relevance in today’s dynamic financial landscape, particularly within the burgeoning realms of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. At the very core of this Jewish approach to wealth is the concept of tzedakah, charity, which offers not just a path to generosity, but a blueprint for financial abundance.

Core Concepts

  1. Tzedakah

    • Traditional Finance: In financial terms, tzedakah translates to charitable giving, often viewed as a responsibility that individuals have towards their community.
    • Crypto Application: In the crypto world, charitable giving is becoming more transparent through blockchain, allowing for traceability and increased trust in how donations are used.
    • Understanding tzedakah is critical for newcomers to crypto as it integrates community values with the technology-driven ethos of digital currencies.
  2. Testing God (or the Universe)

    • Traditional Finance: This concept refers to measuring and pushing the limits of one’s financial beliefs and practices, often leading to greater risk and potential rewards.
    • Crypto Application: In crypto, testing the market with investments can yield unexpected rewards, akin to the idea of taking risks in uncertain environments.
    • Newcomers must grasp this tenet as it embodies the spirit of entrepreneurship within the volatile crypto landscape.
  3. Wealth Creation and Flow

    • Traditional Finance: In traditional terms, wealth creation is about generating income through investments, business, or assets.
    • Crypto Application: In the crypto ecosystem, wealth is created through mining, trading, or investing in blockchain projects – all reliant on the flow of capital and ideas.
    • It’s essential for crypto newcomers to understand the flow of capital as it relates to investment strategies both in fiat and digital currencies.
  4. Belief and Mindset

    • Traditional Finance: Success in finance often requires a mindset that encourages innovation, endurance, and strategic risk-taking.
    • Crypto Application: The same applies to the crypto world, where belief in a project or currency can significantly impact outcomes.
    • A positive mindset is pivotal for newcomers attempting to navigate this ever-evolving space.
  5. Charitable Pledge

    • Traditional Finance: Pledging to give a portion of income to charity reflects a commitment to social responsibility.
    • Crypto Application: In crypto, establishing charitable pledges through smart contracts can automate giving and enhance accountability.
    • This concept introduces newcomers to the importance of socially conscious investing and giving within crypto.

Key Sections

The Power of Charity: A Key to Wealth Creation

  • Charity is more than a generous act; it is a powerful financial principle.
  • Tzedakah, or charitable giving, releases a flow of abundance.
  • Generous people tend to find more success; multiple anecdotes suggest this connection.
  • The Torah states, “Asher Tis Asher,” implying that giving leads to wealth.

Crypto Connection:

  • Cryptocurrencies like BitGive harness blockchain for charitable causes, showing the impact of giving.
  • The transparency and traceability of blockchain can reassure donors on the usage of their contributions.

The Mindset Shift: Thinking Forward Instead of Backward

  • Conventional finance often focuses on what’s been earned to determine future giving.
  • A revolutionary approach flips this idea, suggesting people should commit to how much they aspire to earn and give accordingly.

Crypto Connection:

  • Investors in crypto often assess potential earnings based on market trends, not just past performance.
  • This shift in thought can empower newcomers to visualize larger goals in their cryptocurrency journey.

The Importance of Commitment: Testing Your Limits

  • Committing to give beyond comfort levels leads to significant growth.
  • One notable example underscores the leap of faith embodied in testing philanthropic commitments that often yields unexpected abundance.

Crypto Connection:

  • In the crypto arena, this reflects the notion of holding onto assets despite volatility, trusting in long-term growth rather than short-term fluctuations.

Real Rewards: Seeing Results from Generosity

  • Stories abound of individuals witnessing exponential growth after significantly increasing their pledges.
  • Reflecting on one’s business and charitable activities can illuminate avenues for wealth.

Crypto Connection:

  • Successful crypto ventures often encourage community benefits through charitable actions, as seen in Donation platforms like The Giving Block.

Beyond Money: Creating Channels for Wealth

  • Generosity becomes a conduit for real wealth, serving as a reminder that finances are ultimately a flow of energy.
  • Engaging authentically with community needs exponentially elevates personal and communal growth.

Crypto Connection:

  • Blockchain technology facilitates community-driven initiatives that parallel these principles of generosity, ultimately magnifying wealth creation for all participants.

Real-World Applications

The principles discussed have historical roots and tangible applications today in finance and crypto. The notion of charity being linked with wealth exists outside of Jewish communities; many cultures view generosity favorably. Similarly, cryptocurrency has garnered a reputation for providing innovative financial systems that encourage sharing and collective growth.

Proponents of giving back often share their successes, shaping communities as a testament to the power of philanthropy in everyday life – crypto forums often echo this sentiment through stories of progression and community support.

Cause and Effect Relationships

The act of giving fundamentally shifts the perception of wealth. Traditional finance often suggests scarcity; however, in both the Jewish approach and blockchain culture, generosity creates a surplus effect. In crypto, sharing through decentralization can improve market conditions, where wealth is redistributed, fostering growth.

Newcomers should be aware that how one chooses to invest or give inherently affects someone’s broader financial ecosystem, from personal wealth to community sustainability.

Challenges and Solutions

One challenges is the misconception that charity must come from existing funds, while real opportunity lies in pledging future earnings, elevating one’s wealth aspirations. In the crypto sphere, newcomers often struggle with market volatility and the temptation to withdraw from charitable aspirations due to economic pressure.

Blockchain technology offers solutions by creating automated giving structures through smart contracts, ensuring commitments are honored regardless of market dips.

Key Takeaways

  1. Tzedakah is critical to wealth creation – Engage in giving to invite abundance.
  2. Test your financial limits – Don’t shy away from challenging financial commitments.
  3. Wealth creation is a flow, not a static quantity – Understand that energy and money move through community engagement.
  4. Mindset is everything – Shift your perspective from retrospective thinking to aspirational growth.
  5. Automation through technology can enhance giving – Explore blockchain solutions for making pledges.
  6. Community builds larger wealth – Engage and uplift community through charitable acts.
  7. You are a vessel for abundance – Embrace the idea that your wealth can benefit others while enriching your life.

Discussion Questions and Scenarios

  1. How does the concept of tzedakah challenge traditional notions of wealth?
  2. Discuss a hypothetical scenario in which a crypto investor makes a pledge. How would that impact their investment strategy?
  3. Contrast the approaches toward charitable giving in traditional finance and the crypto world. Where do you see greater benefits?
  4. Analyze how blockchain technology can transform charitable practices in comparison to traditional methods.
  5. If you could set a charitable pledge for your crypto investments, what would it be and why?

Glossary

  • Tzedakah: Hebrew term for charity; signifies moral duty in giving.
  • Wealth Creation: The process of generating income and building financial assets.
  • Testing God: A spiritual act encouraging individuals to make commitments beyond comfort levels to see divine rewards.
  • Blockchain Technology: A decentralized ledger technology that ensures transparency in transactions, including charitable giving.
  • Smart Contracts: Automated contracts executed on the blockchain, often used to ensure commitments in charitable pledges.

By embracing these principles and recognizing their pertinence in our financial endeavors, both traditional and crypto alike, we can navigate the complex world of wealth creation with a spirit of generosity and abundance.

Continue to Next Lesson

Congratulations on completing this lesson in the Crypto is FIRE (CFIRE) training program! We hope this exploration of wealth and tzedakah inspires you on your financial journey. Get ready to dive deeper into the next lesson, where we’ll uncover more secrets for success in the world of cryptocurrencies and beyond.

 

 

Read Video Transcript

The Jewish Secret To Wealth | IN GOD WE TEST | Full Movie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkJNgal0RRE
Transcript:
 The Jewish people have always had a peculiar relationship with money.  Their Torah recounts tales of men accumulating fortunes of biblical proportion.  When God took his people out of Egypt, he brought them to the foot of Mount Sinai  and revealed to them many secrets, one of which was the secret to wealth.
 Throughout the ages, the world could not help but admire the Jewish people for their business prowess.  Admittedly, in some generations, the admiration turned to hatred  and became an excuse to commit unspeakable atrocities.  Their greatest critics will say that they control the banks, the media and the financial markets.
 Is it all just a coincidence?  There is no denying that this ancient people possess a secret to the accumulation of riches that has defied the rule of nature.  Alas, what is their great secret?  I’ve always been fascinated with money.  Ever since I was a kid, I remember that I had this picture book when I was younger that  inside of it, instead of putting photos, I would put bills, $5 bills, $10 bills.
 As I grew up, I would read any business book that I could get my hands on.  And I’d also listen to any positive thinking guru that I could find. I guess you could say I’ve always  been a student of money.  There is a secret to wealth that the Jewish people have known for thousands of years. It was hidden inside of the Bible and was not ready to come out until this very last generation.
 You see, we’re all ruled by one power, by one force, by one creator.  And we all are subject to his laws.  And when we know how to apply that to our lives, we’re able to unleash wealth that we never thought possible.  The Jewish secret to wealth is charity.  In Hebrew called tzedakah.  The big big big key is the tzedakah.
 Giving the money actually gives us back  more. Because I prioritize giving, God prioritizes me. The key secret is my charity that I give.  Tzedakah plays an intricate role in my everyday life and decisions that I make within my life.  Generous people are more successful people.  Zohar says, open up for me a vessel like the eye of a needle and I’ll fit an elephant through it.
 Now this goes against all logic.  According to simple math, if a person has ten of something and they take one and give  it away, they’re left with nine.  Imagine a pie that you have in front of you.  Okay someone gives you a beautiful apple pie that you love.  That’s the amount of money that you’ve earned during the year, that you worked hard for, that you’ve sweated with.
 You’ve got receivables and payables and staff and finding clients.  We’re sweating for our money, and that money is that pie.  The idea of giving away one or two slices away,  Hashem has ways to give you back those two slices and more.  What we’re talking about here does not go according to nature.  We’re talking about a secret code that the creator of the universe himself embedded into  the fabric of the universe.
 We’re not talking about karma that if you do good, you’re going to get good.  No.  We’re talking about a hack in the matrix. When I came home from yeshiva and went back to work, the rabbi from my synagogue came  and he asked for a pledge for the following year.  He asked me for $18,000, which is roughly $1,500 a month.
 And it’s what I owed at that time for charity.  So I gladly said yes.  By the end of the year, I fulfilled the pledge.  But again, didn’t think too much about it.  That next year, I left my family business.  And I went to go start my own company from absolutely scratch.  Right before Rosh Hashanah, the rabbi came to my new office to pledge me as he does every year.
 And when he walked into the room, his face turned white.  He was used to seeing me in a big fancy office  with a big mahogany desk with a big corner view.  And that year he walked in and I was alone in a dingy office  sitting on a $10 Walmart chair and those white folding tables.  That year I was expecting the rabbi to go easy on me.
 He sits down at the table  and he says to me, this year I’m not gonna ask you for 18,000 but this year  we’ll ask you double, 36,000. I went into a trance. The rabbi froze in front of me.  It was just me, myself, and God.  And at first I was angry. I was saying to myself, how could he do this to me?  He knows that I’m starting fresh. He knows how hard it is.
 How could he ask such a big ask?  But then I thought to myself, if this is all true, then God is not going to hurt me for giving charity.  Only Jesus will have the bonus.  I came out of the trance  One single tear ran down my cheek and I said one word  Okay  I said it’s up to God. It’s not my problem I’m gonna do my best and best and I’m going to commit. But at the end of the day, it’s up to Him to make sure it happens. That year in business, I absolutely exploded.
 It was an incredible year from zero to hero overnight.  The type of growth that I had was not normal.  And by the end of that year,  I was able to fulfill every single dollar  of that $36,000 pledge.  So I started to go on a search  to find where exactly the source for this concept of giving  charity makes a person wealthy.
 So I came across the standard line in Torah that everybody knows, which in Hebrew is called  Asher Tis Asher.  Which means that when a person gives charity he becomes wealthy. Tithe to  become wealthy. So I continued to learn and study more and I came across the  magic phrase that I’m about to tell you that changed my life forever and is about to  change your life forever. And the secret hidden line is found in a book called Malachi and it goes like this With the food that was brought to the Shulchan Arot, the holy year of the day,
 and the holy day of the new year,  when we go to the day,  the rabbi said nothing,  except that he could be the one  who would pray for the new year  in the Abba’s Eiz,  and pray for $50,000, I gladly obliged, of course.  And the year after that, they asked for $100,000.  Now that was really pushing myself.
 I said yes. What was I going to do? Say no?  Would you believe that it worked again?  It was all starting to make sense.  I tested God, and he opened up new channels, new ways for me to make a living.  And I had made more in that year when I gave $100,000 than I had ever made in my life.  And I also had enough left over.
 By then, I was so convinced when it came to charity that there’s no difference for me  between taking a ball and dropping it and letting  it fall by gravity and giving charity and getting money back in return there’s no difference  as I started documenting and talking more about my experience with charity all of a sudden from  all around the world people would reach out to me, telling me about  their stories, their miracles that they themselves saw.
 So the first time that we gave charity in a way that I would describe as making us slightly  uncomfortable was Ida and I went to a class at Chabad of Ohio State University.  They were hosting Rabbi Yossi Jacobson, YY.  We were super inspired.  He spoke about a number of things, one of the things being giving and the importance of giving.
 We walked up to Rabbi Jacobson. We said, Rabbi, your message is fantastic. It’s powerful,  and it needs to be heard by the world. Why don’t you start a website, an online yeshiva,  and we will underwrite it. And I had no idea what the financial commitment would look like.  The dollar amount was, you know, tens of thousands of dollars to start it, build it, fund it.
 I was extremely uncomfortable. Ida was uncomfortable. But we felt like this is really important.  Hundreds of thousands of people could potentially be learning and growing as a result of this.  And we did it. Every year we would give more, and we were testing Hashem.  Every year we would see clearly those results.
 When you give, you give for fun and for free,  with no expectation of getting anything in return.  And what you get after almost becomes  just like the cherry on top.  It was COVID, everyone was cash-tied.  I was especially cash-tied.  I was coming out of a sabbatical in Israel  where I had very little income.
 And I decided to put in a donation that was well above my means at the time.  And less than a year later, I closed probably the biggest cash deal of my life.  And it blew my mind.  The fact that God had reimbursed me, not only with the fund amount but also that he rewarded me so  to speak with 10x was phenomenal to me.
 I had a friend came up to me told me  Alberto are you giving how much you’re giving? Do something. Calculate 20%  I’m like crazy how can I give 20%? Just do it. You know if you’re gonna if you  want to continue to be a guy who’s, you know, paying your bills and doing okay, okay.  But if you wanna go strong, it’s a 20%.  You know, after that day, I liked what he said.
 And I separated 20%.  I cannot explain how that opened up the possibilities of businesses.  Did find myself at a point where I had gotten divorced and now I was running a home as a  single parent. It became a struggle to  give as freely as I did in the past.
 Even if it was kind of a challenge, I always benefited  on the flip side. So I would get a tax refund that year or I would have the opportunity  to work at another job. So I always found that even in giving, God will ultimately reward  you. It was our first Shabbat or maybe second Shabbat in the community.  And we’re at Kiddush and I meet this guy and I’m talking to him and we’re having some drinks.
 And Rabbi Korn comes over and he’s pouring whiskey for everyone.  And he says, Yaakov, make sure that this guy gives good donations this year.  And I laugh it off.  What am I going to do?  So I decide to joke, you give I’ll match I had  no clue how much he had given so it turns out that he had committed $18,000  for the year that was you know five times more than any donation I had ever  given what am I gonna say you know I I just hoped and prayed that I’ll be able  to give it and I meant it somehow Somehow with God’s incredible blessing, I was able to give that much and more.
 The year after, I gave at least five times that amount.  The thing I realized at that time that still sticks with me is we’re just a vessel for  creating wealth and serving as a channel for God to get it into the hands of those who  need it.  People often ask me, what’s your secret to success?  So yes, I do a ton of networking.
 I work really, really hard.  But the key ingredient is my charity that I give.  I really feel that that has enabled me to scale.  And things that don’t even make sense have been working out.  Like it’s beyond comprehension.  I’ve been in many businesses everything from shoes,  textiles. Our last business has been the most successful one.
 We made sure that  everything that came in we were gonna give 10% tzedakah. I believe that it’s  been successful because of us taking so seriously giving charity.  My story with charity begins a few months ago.  I was at the gravesite of the Rabbi Rivnitz in Muncie, New York.  I had a big project that I was working months and months to get it,  and I didn’t see a path to getting a signature on my contract.
 And I told the rabbi that if I’m going to get it,  I will donate my charity from this project for his schools. Five, six days later and this  is already after months of back and forth I got in my inbox a signed  contract. It was signed on my terms and everything started rolling from there.  This was like a very special moment for me.
 Just five, six days after promising charity,  all of a sudden, boom, the contract was signed. A close friend of mine reached out to me  and he’s like, I have a friend of mine, he lives across the country, he has no money, his parents  have no money, no one has any money, he needs help. So I was like, sure, whatever he needs,  I’ll take care of it. And I supported him for the entire year.
 And it came to a point at the end of  the year, I wanted to go back to Israel. I needed that money to get there. And it came to a point at the end of the year,  I wanted to go back to Israel.  I needed money to get there.  I was short.  I was short 5,000 bucks.  I went to a friend of mine and I’m like,  hey, this is the situation.  Within three days, I had 5,000 plus plenty extra to get me through the entire year.
 And it was just so clear to me  that that was literally me giving to someone else.  God gave right back to me.  Our minds are so small  and it’s only us that limit the capacity of Hashem.  And once we do that, Hashem says, okay, Atkan, I’m going to stop here.  But in your mind, if you say, no, Hashem is bigger, He’s greater, it’s endless.
 Then Hashem says, okay, you’ll see.  There’s a man in my synagogue that every year gives $10,000.  And I asked him if he could stand up in front of the congregation and speak to everybody  and talk about the blessings that he sees from his charity.  But he told me, Beryl, I can’t because I don’t see any blessings from my charity.
 And this really bothered me because I’m the guy that pledges him every year.  So how could it be that he doesn’t see it?  And I went home and I thought about it and I did the math.  And the reason why he’s not seeing the blessings from his charity is because he’s not giving enough.  He only gives $10,000 which means that God only has to give him $40,000 that is left would give him $100,000.
 If he gave $40,000, then God would give him $200,000. You see, the problem with charity and  the way we’ve been looking at it forever is this. Most people look at charity going backwards.  They say to themselves, if I made $100,000 this year, then I owe $10,000  to charity.
 The problem is, if a person makes $100,000 after tuition, after rent, after food,  after insurance, and after a vacation, he has no money left. He might even be in debt. He doesn’t  even have $10,000 left over to give to charity. So he’s  not even doing that bare minimum. Here came the Lubavitcher Rebbe and changed everything and  flipped it completely on its head.
 Instead of looking backwards at what you made to determine  what you owe to charity, he challenged us to look forward and make a pledge and decide how much money we want to make for the upcoming year.  And based on how much our pledge is, that’s how much we’re going to make. טרחט, אז אל גייטון אה גודי זר. איזא פיבה ון אין וייסטר חייס,  אדא סי ניטל פי קייך,  ונוח מראה סי טאקן ניטל פי קייך.
 ובילד אובר אה בזיר בשלוסן,  אה ניט גוקנדיק אף זיין אין מגלכייקטן.  ובילד אה קונטון אה טייו אה צווית נילן.  אה פול פי וסי אנגליס אה נושר,  ואה טרטון דה טייו מיט מסיר אה סנאפש, and the second one, the one who is the most powerful, will be able to do things with the most sincere heart,  and the one who is the most righteous,  will help him,  so that he can be a good man  and a good man.
 After learning all this,  last year when I went to go make my pledge for charity, I wanted to really test God with charity. At the end of the day, a lot of people  think that it says you can test God, but really if you read it properly it says  test me with charity, as if it’s a commandment, it’s a mitzvah to test God  with charity.
 So this year, instead of going up by 18,000 or 36,000, I decided to really test God  and see if this thing is true once and for all.  I pledge a quarter of a million dollars.  And what do you think happened?  True to his word, a new business was formed,  my executive coaching firm,  that not only paid off the quarter million dollar pledge,  but left me, thank you God, with plenty left over  that I was able to do it with joy and with happiness.
 Just goes to show when you test God in charity you’re going to see incredible miracles in your life.  I now want to give you the exact method that you could start applying this in your life exactly  where you are right now right here. one, you make a pledge to institutions  that the foundation is based on God.
 Now disclaimer, the pledge that you make  should not be irresponsible,  and it should be within the world of reality.  But from the same time, the pledge should be something  that pushes you beyond what you’re comfortable giving.  Step two is you write a document  to the institutions that you’re pledging to, telling them the exact amount  of money that you’re going to be pledging for the next year.
 And then step three is every single month,  you send a check out to those organizations.  My personal favorite is writing post-dated checks  and giving them at the beginning of the year  so I take myself out of it.  And what you are about to do is testing God  with the greatest mitzvah that there is, which is charity.
 And it says that nothing brings the Messiah, the Mashiach, closer than giving charity.  Once you test God, and once you see the blessings explode in your life,  you will never be able to go back to a regular life again.  And when you do see those blessings,  make sure to tell everybody that you know about this incredible mitzvah of testing God with Chad. Thank you. you

 

Jews are making a lot of money in business. Here’s WHY…

Transcript:

 Welcome back to my YouTube channel. My name is Beryl Solomon and today we’re going to be discussing 10 Jewish business commandments.  These are things that we have known for over 3,000 years and they are coming to you right now in this video.  If this is your first time here, please smash the subscribe button. Please give me a like and leave a comment.

 I would love to hear from you. I might even hit you back in the comments.  So let’s go. 10 Jewish business commandments. Let’s roll. Number one is we don’t blame other  people or other communities or other races for our own problems. Even during the Holocaust,  after that happened and we left Germany and we went to every other corner of the world,  we did not look back with a chip on our shoulder.

 Rather, we looked forward to build with positivity and with hope.  We leave the past in the past and we look brightly towards the future.  Number two, we aim for abundance in everything that it is that we do.  Our benchmark is God himself.  God is abundant.  He is unlimited.

 So when we approach business,  or when we approach creating wealth for ourselves or our communities,  we look at God as our benchmark,  so we aim for abundance.  Not enough just to get by, but abundance,  because God himself is abundant.  Number three, we do not abandon our children,  especially when it comes to making a living.  We have a tradition that says that if a person does not teach his child how to make money,  it says if he’s teaching his child theft.

 Why?  Because if he doesn’t know how to make money, his only option that he has to feed himself  is to steal.  So we have a big emphasis on teaching our children how to make a living.  Number four, we find businesses that are kosher and that also make a lot of money.  Let me give you an example.  You will be very hard-pressed to find an orthodox Jewish man,  or a woman for that matter, that will own something like a strip club  or in the pornography business.

 Why?  Because it is not a kosher business.  We want to make sure that we bring God into whatever it is that we’re doing. We want to  make sure that we could sleep well at night. So we try to go into, we don’t try, we go into  kosher businesses that also make a lot of money.

 So there’s plenty of kosher businesses out there,  but those businesses don’t make money. So the business has to be kosher and has to make a lot of money. So there’s plenty of kosher businesses out there, but those businesses don’t make money. So the business has to be kosher and has to make a lot of money. Number five,  we do not work for other people. We try not to work for other people.

 There’s a tradition that  back in the days of the Torah, that if a person was a slave and they chose to work for their slave master  after seven years, they were punished in a certain sense by nailing a nail into their  ear and putting it on the wall.  Why?  Because ultimately a person should not be a slave to another person, but rather we should  only be slaves to God.

 And we want to work for ourselves  and only have God on top of us. That way we’re able to bring down his infinite blessing.  Number six, we try to help members of our own community. That means that if we could award  a person in our community from our synagogue a contract, we will try and do that. Because we believe in supporting each other like a family.

 Imagine every community in the world.  Imagine where you live right now.  If everyone gave you the opportunity to win that business  before they gave it to anybody else,  imagine where you would be in your business, in your career.  To start doing this in your communities,  look, the next contract that you’re going to award  for your painting or your accounting, whatever that might be, try to give it to your next door neighbor.

 Try to give it to the person from your church or your mosque or your whatever. Support the members  of your community. Number seven, we like to go into businesses with high profit margins and low  risk and low competition, right? You don’t want to bet all of your money on the farm.  At the end of the day,  you don’t want to get yourself so ingrained  in making a living  that you don’t have your head left for anything else.

 You want to go into a business  that makes you a lot of money,  but you’re not knee deep and eyeballs deep  and having to figure out that business  because life is a balance.  It’s not just about making the money, but it’s about living a balanced life. So there’s  plenty of businesses out there that you can make money and still have your head so that  you could devote it towards higher pursuits.

 Number eight, be honest in all of your business  dealings. One of the 10 commandments is thou thou shalt not steal. Now a lot of people  mistake this. They think that if they can steal and people won’t find out then  it’s okay to steal. No. We believe that there is an eye that sees, an ear that  hears, and all of our deeds are being recorded in a book.

 This extra layer of  honesty and scrupulousness  is what has allowed us to remain in business  for long periods of time.  Contrary to popular belief or popular culture  that Jews are not honest in business,  guys, let’s be honest,  you can’t be around for this long in business  and be dishonest.  For sure, there’s some characters,  just like every race, every religion,  every people has that are not doing the right thing.

 And we pray for them that they figure out the right way,  the right path, the godly path.  But at the end of the day, our Torah, our Bible,  our 10 commandments tells us, thou shall not steal.  Number nine, give charity.  When God sees that you are a good business partner for him, meaning he gives you more clients and more contracts because the return on  investment with you is better than your uncle jimmy who doesn’t give a penny to anybody give  charity number 10 probably maybe the most important trust in god in everything that it is that you do

 you ever notice that jewish people are always starting businesses always going into new  industries always doing new things.  Why?  What is the foundation of it?  Because we trust in God.  That trust allows us to take a leap  to buy that piece of real estate.  That trust in God allows us to take the leap  to hire that employee  or to make that investment  or to start that new firm  or to launch that new piece of technology  because we believe that we’re not in this alone.

 Rather, if we jump, we’re connected by a safety rope that will save us.  So number 10 is trust in God.  You could do that right here, right now.  Guys, if you made it with me this long into it, I want to congratulate you.  I want to give you a blessing that everything should go well, revealed good in your life  and your business in your business  in your career  please do me a favor  smash that subscribe  leave me a like  leave me a comment  it’s been a pleasure  and honor dealing with you  and being with you this far

 and I’m going to try to put out  one of these videos  at least once or twice  every single week  to keep you guys informed  and make sure everyone  gets wealthy together  God bless  have a great day