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Building an Eternal Inheritance |
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 Building and Eternal Inheritance
Written by Rabbi Jason Sobel
“… and of all that you give to me, I will surely give a tenth to you.”
Genesis 28:22
Jacob said to the Lord: “Only that which I am willing to give one tenth to charity will remain truly mine, entrusted by you to me by virtue of my pledge to tithe it. Untithed wealth is not mine at all and I will not be able to keep it.”
(Kametz HaMinch commenting on Genesis 28:22)
One important lesson that we learn from this verse is that only thing we really have in life is that which we give away. Let me share a story with you to illustrate.
A rabbi once asked his students, “If I have four hundred dollars in my
pocket and I give one hundred and twenty away. How many dollars do I
have left?” Simultaneously, his students yelled out, “Two hundred
seventy five.” “No!” the rabbi responded, “I only have one hundred and
twenty.” Seeing the bewildered expressions on his students’ faces he
began to explain, “Whatever I have in my pocket is here today but will
be gone tomorrow. But whenever I give a tithe or tzedeka (charity),
that amount is recorded in heaven above, and it will be returned to me
many times over in the world to come. For in truth the only thing that
we can ultimately hold onto is that which we give away to do God’s
work.” (Avot de-Rebbe Natan)
Giving is one of the most God-like acts in the world. Nothing pleases
God more then when we give sacrificially. If we want the Lord to bless
us with wealth, we must not hoard it but be willing to give it away on
behalf of God. If we want God to bless us and with the gift of
Shabbat, which is a taste of the world to come, we must be willing to
give it away by sharing it with others. If we want to experience a
revelation of God like Jacob did at Beth El, then we must be willing to
pour ourselves out in the prayer for the sake of others. When we do
so, we reap the spiritual and material rewards in this world and also
in the world to come.
It is for this reason that observant Jews traditionally set aside
tzedaka, charity, before prayer. By attuning our hearts to the needs
of others, God in his grace, becomes more attuned to ours. When all is
said and done, the more we learn to give the more in turn we will
receive from the Lord. As Messiah said, Give and you will receive.
Your gift will return to you in full” (Luke 6:38). Therefore let us
emulate Messiah who gave himself freely for our benefit.
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