Search

Home > Daily Emunah Podcast - Daily Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear > A Generous Spirit
Podcast: Daily Emunah Podcast - Daily Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear
Episode:

A Generous Spirit
Category: Religion & Spirituality
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2020-01-08 07:00:00
Description: The Peleh Yoetz writes in Erech Vatranut that a person’s ability to spend money, whether on a mitzvah or whether to give tzedaka , or any other good cause, is a middah like any other. Hashem created some people with a generous spirit and others without that generous spirit. Some people have an extremely difficult time parting with their money. Hashem, in His infinite wisdom, gave each person the exact middot he needs to have to fulfill his purpose here. This is one of the reasons we can never judge anyone in any area because we don’t know how difficult Hashem made the test for the person in that area. No matter what, a person always has the ability to overcome his nature and be the best in every area. If someone has trouble parting with his money, he should pray to Hashem on a daily basis to give him the strength to spend on the things that he needs to spend on. If a person would know the value of being easy going with money and spending freely, especially when it comes to helping others, he would be running to do it. Rabbi Yosef Lieberman wrote in his sefer that he does not usually tell stories, but the following story he felt was so important that he felt obligated to relate it. In the city of Cracow, there was an avrech who spent his days and nights learning Torah. Eventually, he went into business, and he had so much blessing, until he became a very wealthy man. Years passed and his child became engaged to the child of Rabbi Shimeleh Sofer, the Rabbi of Cracow. At the wedding, there were Gedolim and Admorim. One of the Rabbis turned to this wealthy man and asked him, “Please tell me, what was your secret to success?” He replied, “I got married to the daughter of a simple Jew. He did not have money, but he promised me a certain amount as a dowry for his daughter. He kept his word until the last penny. The Shabbat after shevah berachot , we ate by their house and I noticed there was no candelabra for the Shabbat candles. I couldn’t believe it. They just gave us a beautiful candelabra, and they didn’t have one!? I asked my wife about it. She told me they gave us theirs. I sat by the table. I saw the chairs were wobbling back and forth, the table was partially broken. I asked my wife about it. She said they just gave us theirs. When I went to sleep, I saw how horrid the beds were and again I asked my wife, and she told me they gave us their beds. I said to myself, this cannot continue. It doesn’t matter that they promised these things to us. I can’t live comfortably while my in-laws are suffering. The next day, Sunday I returned everything to them, and I borrowed 20,000 rubles to furnish my apartment and fill in my other needs. The very same day, in the afternoon, a businessman approached me, out of the blue, and said he knows that I’m an outstanding student with a great head and I have yirat shamayim and he knows that I need money. He offered to loan me another 20,000 rubles on condition that I go into a certain business with it. I agreed and, baruch Hashem, the blessing came pouring in. In a short amount of time, I was able to pay back both loans and the business flourished and turned me into a very wealthy man.” Rabbi Lieberman, after relating this story, concluded, “Look at the power of vatranut , being able to give up money to help others, even though you might be entitled to it. This avrech had every right to keep the things that his in-laws gave him – they promised them to him. But instead, he borrowed 20,000 rubles and put himself into debt so that other people shouldn’t be lacking. That is when Hashem blessed him with untold wealth. Spending money on mitzvot and giving away money is not easy, but the rewards are endless.
Total Play: 0

Some more Podcasts by Torah Learning Resources.

1K+ Episodes
Daily Halach ..     2