| The big deal
about rich people
One of the most important figures in Jewish history was the
compiler of the Mishnah, Rabbi Judah HaNassi, who is credited
for single-handedly "preventing the Torah from being
forgotten from Israel." It is a sign of his greatness
that throughout the Talmud and Jewish literature he is called
simply "Rabbi" ("Our Master").
The Talmud makes an interesting
statement about him -- a statement that has provoked much
discussion and no small amount of wonderment through the ages.
It tells us that "Rabbi honored the rich." Now why
would a person like Rabbi Judah HaNassi honor someone simply
because he or she has amassed a large quantity of money and
material possessions?
Perhaps Rabbi headed a yeshivah
or some other not-for-profit organization which was reliant
on contributions by people of means to accomplish its holy
goals? But Rabbi Judah was himself one of the richest individuals
of his time; we are told that his wealth rivaled that of his
contemporary and friend, the Roman emperor Antoninus. One
can assume that he had no great need for honorees to chair
his annual dinners or people his executive boards.
Maybe he was awed by wealth
and the pleasures it can buy? (Poor people assume that only
the poor worship money, but wealthy people know that this
can be equally, if not more so, the case with the rich). But
the Talmud tells us that before his passing Rabbi Judah HaNassi
lifted his hands up toward the heavens and proclaimed: "My
ten fingers are my witnesses that I did not derive even a
pinky's worth of pleasure from the material world." To
Rabbi, material things held no value or desirability unto
themselves: they were but means toward a higher end.
So why did Rabbi honor rich
people?
On one occasion, the Lubavitcher
Rebbe offered the following explanation:
The Creator of all souls has
given each one of them a mission to accomplish in course of
its physical life. G-d also equips each soul with all the
material resources it requires to accomplish its mission.
Certain missions require only a minimal amount of material
resources to carry out; that's why we have poor people. Certain
missions require large bank accounts to pull off; hence the
rich.
The Creator has also granted
the human being freedom of choice, which means that every
empowerment we are given carries a certain degree of risk.
We can use our resources to accomplish our mission, or we
can use them to sabotage it, and even sabotage the good that
other souls are trying to achieve.
What all this means is that
the big-money jobs are also the more risky investments. Here
G-d is taking a much bigger chance: if the person doesn't
use the resources he or she have been given in the proper
way, s/he can cause lots of damage. G-d is obviously going
to be very selective about the souls to which He entrusts
these particular missions. He is aware that they will be able
to make a real mess of things; but He believes that they can
do it right.
That is why, concluded the
Rebbe, Rabbi Judah HaNassi honored rich people. He felt that
if G-d has shown such a degree of trust in them, they have
earned our respect.
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(Rich
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(Rich
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(How
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