Our portion that we read this week details the moral conduct with regards to ones finances and relationships with money and possessions.
However, King Solomon wrote, “The pursuit of wisdom is better than that of money”.
If we reflect a moment, we will realize that money serves no purpose until it leaves our possession. It is only when we spend the money that we can acquire something we value. If we were to have money which we could not possibly spend, it would have no value at all. A person marooned on a desert island cannot derive any good from his money, regardless of how much he may have.
Wisdom, however, is always of value. It can benefit a person under any circumstances, and may help him survive even on that uninhabited island. The most significant difference which separates man from animal is his intellect. Man’s intelligence is an essential and defining feature of his humanity, money is not. We could be human, even if money did not exist. Therefore, the wiser we become, the more we are fulfilled as human beings.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Shaul
