The city was in an uproar: a well-known veteran beggar had won the million-dollar lottery! Reporters scrambled to learn about this unique win, and the same question was on everybody’s lips—what was he planning to do with his newfound wealth?
“My life hasn’t been easy,” the beggar told the media, “I spend my days collecting, and during the wintertime, my work is challenging. But now I can finally hire a chauffeur to assist me! What luck – my begging rounds are sure to become a breeze!”
Unfortunately, winning the lottery doesn’t come packaged with money management skills. Often, people who win sweepstakes end up quickly losing the money they’ve acquired, because they have no idea how to utilize it properly. Indeed, prosperity, as with all good things in life, is only valuable when we know how to truly possess it – when we’ve earned it and made it our own.
Knowing how to manage money is key to our financial well-being, but what about our emotional well-being? What influences how we shape our characters and our lives?
Just as one needs to invest wisely in order to secure financial success, learning how to dedicate our time and energy properly is critical to building our moral fiber.
Our sages teach us that every person is regarded as a mini Holy Temple, housing untold potential for growth and refinement. In our mini Temple, sacrifices are represented by our ability to relinquish our natural egoistic desires for the good of the next person or to better the world at large.
True, we call it a sacrifice, but in essence it is really an investment – one which we reap the gains from for many years afterwards, in a refined personality!
When you do something sincerely, even when it’s difficult for you – say, a favor for a stranger that takes you away from your busy schedule – it is then that you know you are truly living; truly giving; truly possessing your life.
Remember, earned money lasts because we’ve worked for it, and therefore, we know how to own it. Similarly, the answer to every success in life lies in our ability to remain true to ourselves in the face of challenges and to remain unwavering in our intentions and actions no matter the circumstances.
Seek to do something that may be demanding; don’t shy away from challenge…remember, it’s the only way to truly “win the lottery” and receive blessing in your life!
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendy
