ערך ממון

And therefore mockery is called an abomination — just as pride and arrogance are also called an abomination. And this is the aspect of: "If to the scorners He scorns, but to the humble He gives grace" [Proverbs 3:34] — for the opposite of mockery is humility. This error and confusion of the desire for money is greater than all the errors in the world. For since money is a very necessary necessity for a person — therefore the error and confusion is strongest there — to the point that it appears to them that money is the essential purpose, G-d forbid. Whereas in truth it is the complete opposite. For in truth the essential livelihood is only from G-d alone — and one must minimize in commerce and engage in Torah and trust in G-d that he will succeed in the small amount of commerce he engages in, and that He will send him his livelihood through a simple means. For everything is only from Him, blessed be He, alone.

And one must be careful and guard oneself very much — not to steal and not to damage one's fellow in his money — so as not to blemish his own soul, G-d forbid. For holy money is of one root with the soul [mishoreshed echad im hanefesh]. And through guarding oneself from damaging one's fellow — and if one did damage him, G-d forbid, by repaying and restoring his loss — through this judgment and darkness and foolishness are pushed away from the world. And the soul, and memory, and Torah are elevated. And kindness is drawn into the world.

"Silver answers everything" [Ecclesiastes 10:19] — and all things in the world can be purchased through money. And from this derives the desire and craving for money — because through money one can purchase every matter. But one who has true da'as knows that everything is vanity. For the money — together with all the things and objects that one purchases with it — will all perish and be lost, and nothing will remain of it. And "nothing accompanies a person — not silver and not gold, etc." — only Torah and good deeds alone. And therefore the Tzaddikim and the upright — when they merit to wealth — they elevate all the money together with all the objects purchased with it, all toward holiness, only for the honor of G-d alone. In the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: "This ewe — all of it is sacred: its horn for a trumpet, its hide for a drum, etc." That is, holy wealth — which is the aspect of flocks [tzon], as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Ashteros tzonecha [Deuteronomy 7:13] — that which enriches its owners" — [its owners] — it is entirely sacred. And through this wondrous matters are clarified and revealed — which are the aspect of wondrous melodies [nigunim niflo'im], as explained in the inner teachings.

The essential loss of days — whereby a person loses the days of his life, G-d forbid — is primarily through the desire for money and the entanglements of livelihood, as is plainly evident. And concerning this it is said: "One who makes himself wealthy unjustly — in the midst of his days he will abandon it" [Jeremiah 17:11]. For he does not merit to complete his days — for he loses his days through this. As is the common expression found in ethical works: "A person worries about the loss of his money, and does not worry about the loss of his days." And the essential bitterness and entanglement of money for each person comes through anger. For one who nullifies his anger merits wealth always — for he is always happy with his portion. And through this he merits to actual wealth as above. But one who does not break his anger — concerning him it is said: "And it shall be, when he is hungry, that he will become enraged" [Isaiah 8:21]. And even when he has wealth, he is full of anger — as it is written: "All his days [bring] anger and vexation" [Ecclesiastes 2:23]. For every time he lacks more — and therefore in truth all his wealth is nothing. And concerning him it is said: "You lacked knowledge — what did you acquire?" That is, through anger — through which his wisdom departs from him and he is in the aspect of one lacking da'as — then what did you acquire? For certainly his wealth is nothing — for he always lacks more. And in the end nothing remains for him — and he takes nothing from his toil in his hands. And therefore the essential repair of the days [tikun hayamim] is through nullifying anger — not to become angry and enraged over his deficiencies. Rather, to be happy with his portion — and through this he merits to actual wealth as above.

The essential worry about livelihood — through which one comes to the desire for money — is through thinking from one day to the next and worrying about where he will be sustained in the future. For the majority of people have something to eat on the day itself. And even one for whom circumstances are most strained — who has not even his day's sustenance — even so, if you examine this closely you will see: that the majority of people's essential worry is about tomorrow and about future time. For one day a person can endure without eating at all — only the essential worry is that he fears that tomorrow too he will have no sustenance. How much more so the majority who have their day's sustenance — and many who have money and property from which they can sustain themselves for a month or a year or more — yet all their worry is: what will they do when the money runs out with the passage of time? It is thus found that the essential worry about livelihood and the desire for money comes on account of time. And all of this derives from the fact that money is drawn from the aspect of the north [tzofon], from the aspect of the left — where the essential grip of foolishness and deficiency of da'as resides, which is the essential grip of time. And therefore one must strengthen oneself to bind one's mind to the truth — and to believe and understand that in truth there is no time at all. For time flies exceedingly — for all our days are vanity. And all of time is drawn only from the aspect of above time — for the sake of free will. But in truth there is no time at all. And through this one will have the strength to wait for G-d's salvation always — and not to entangle one's mind with the entanglements of livelihood and the worry of money. Rather, one should be accustomed to say: "Blessed be G-d day by day" [Psalms 68:20] — and man d'vara yoma, bara mezoneh [He who created the day created its sustenance].

Rising at midnight is a segula [-propitious means] for livelihood. When one unlawfully touches the money of his fellow — which is the aspect of the blemish of justice, the aspect of: "one who makes himself wealthy unjustly" — through this he comes — [comes] — to the blemish of the bris.

When one wishes to deny his fellow's money and rob his fellow — this is the aspect of the blemish of the power of the act of creation [ko'ach ma'aseh bereishis]. For according to the power of the act of creation — by which it was arranged that this person should have such and such money and property, and this one such and such — all according to the order of the power of the act of creation — and when one robs his fellow, he alters the order of creation. It is thus found that he blemishes the power aforementioned. And this is alluded to in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: "He declared the power of His works to His people" [Psalms 111:6] — "so that they should not say: 'You are bandits'" [Rashi, Genesis 1:1] — for theft and banditry are the opposite of the aspect of the power of His works. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: "Every judge who judges a truly true judgment" — that is, who rescues through law and justice the oppressed from the hand of his oppressor — "it is as if he becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation" [Shabbos 10a].

All things and objects when they pass from one domain to another — which is only for the purpose of the extraction [birur] of the holy sparks that are in every thing — this is the aspect of ascending from level to level [madrega l'madrega]. And then it is necessary to shatter the husk that precedes the fruit — which is the aspect of the circuits and images [sivuvim v'dimyonos] that surround the holiness at that level. And therefore the majority of acquisitions are through money [kesef] — for through the revelation of the supernal luminous colors [guinin ila'in] clothed in the silver and gold of holiness — through this the husk that precedes the fruit is shattered. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory warned regarding all the commandments — that they must be purchased with full payment, with full money. And therefore one must distance oneself from accepting gifts — as it is written: "One who hates gifts will live" [Proverbs 15:27]. For the ascent of holiness is difficult to achieve for free — but only through full payment as above.

Just as through the breaking of the desire for money one merits great and wondrous da'as, as explained in the inner teachings — so likewise the reverse: when the desire for money intensifies, G-d forbid, through this all the minds [moichin] and da'as are blemished and ruined. Which is the aspect of the kingdom of Yavan [Greece] — who defiled all the sacred oils. For not only does the desire for money overpower the majority of the world to make them forget the Torah entirely, G-d protect us — as is plainly visible: for the majority of the bitul [neglect] and forgetting of Torah is through the desire and entanglements of money and livelihood — but even those of whom some da'as remains, who engage in Torah — upon them too the desire for money intensifies, until it blemishes their da'as as well. And they must fight very much against the ulterior motives and alien thoughts that confuse them in their service — the majority of which come from the desire for money. And therefore in truth — commensurate with the intensification and the spread of the desire for money — the Torah has almost been forgotten from Israel. And the essential repair is only through the truly righteous Tzaddikim of each and every generation. They gather and collect and elevate the power and the merit of the charity and kindness that Israel performs in every generation. And through this they draw a generous spirit to appease and nullify and break the desire for money from Israel. And then — not only will the Torah not be forgotten from Israel, G-d forbid — but through this they even merit to draw the renewal of Torah in every generation.

The essential warning regarding love of friends is most of all in the matter of money — that they should not be resentful and should not be jealous of one another in their money. Rather, on the contrary — their fellow's money should be as beloved to him as his own.

And this is alluded to in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: "He declared the power of His works to His people" [Psalms 111:6] — "so that they should not say: 'You are bandits'" [Rashi, Genesis 1:1] — for theft and banditry are the opposite of the aspect of the power of His works. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: "Every judge who judges a truly true judgment" — that is, who rescues through law and justice the oppressed from the hand of his oppressor — "it is as if he becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation" [Shabbos 10a].