Description
If Only I Were Wealthy – By Pinchas Winston
JUDAISM UNDERSTANDS something that entire societies throughout the millennia have failed to understand:
the fundamental philosophical relationship between man and the material world.
In traditional Jewish consciousness, this is considered to be indispensable knowledge.
While various cultures idealize materialism or asceticism,
Jewish philosophy reveals a workable balance between the two;
a balance which most people intuitively know is crucial for lasting happiness.
How is this balance achieved?
Even a Torah-observing Jew has to ask this question,
and might be subject to misconceptions.
And though to know the answer is to know Torah,
a life-long objective,
the Torah does provide direction:
The Holy One, Blessed is He,
does not reside except on one who is wise,
strong, and wealthy. (Nedarim 38a)
From a Torah perspective,
it is obvious that true wisdom leads to an intimate relationship with God.
It is less obvious that such a relationship is fostered by strength.
But wealth—what does wealth have to do with closeness to the Creator?
The answer to this question requires an understanding of the true purpose of material possessions.
This book intends to address this issue in a very succinct manner.
Much of what I have written is not new; nevertheless,
I believe that in the context of the material as a whole,
many ideas will take on new meaning.
Hopefully,
the brevity of the book will not diminish the importance of its message,
which is applicable to Jews on all levels of commitment to Jewish observance.
