Money
Mishlei Chapter 11 Verse 18:
רָשָׁע--עֹשֶׂה פְעֻלַּת-שָׁקֶר; וְזֹרֵעַ צְדָקָה, שֶׂכֶר אֱמֶת
A wicked man earns false wages, but he who plants charity [receives] a true reward.
There are two types of fantasies regarding money.
1) The fantasy of the ego; an attachment to the power and greatness that can be achieved through a person's wealth.
2) The fantasy of pleasure; the belief that the money will afford the person unlimited pleasure.
A person steeped in either fantasy will never be satisfied by his money because he will never be able to achieve either fantasy. The irony is that the wicked person places so much importance to money and its power that in the end the money will be worthless to him.
The person who gives charity, and is able to part with his money, distances himself from either fantasy and instead relates to it in a practical way. He is able to view the money not just as a an object for obtaining his next yacht but also as an object for obtaining necessities in life (as the person taking the charity relates to it). By downplaying its importance (in the fantasy framework) he is able to appreciate it for what its true worth is.
רָשָׁע--עֹשֶׂה פְעֻלַּת-שָׁקֶר; וְזֹרֵעַ צְדָקָה, שֶׂכֶר אֱמֶת
A wicked man earns false wages, but he who plants charity [receives] a true reward.
There are two types of fantasies regarding money.
1) The fantasy of the ego; an attachment to the power and greatness that can be achieved through a person's wealth.
2) The fantasy of pleasure; the belief that the money will afford the person unlimited pleasure.
A person steeped in either fantasy will never be satisfied by his money because he will never be able to achieve either fantasy. The irony is that the wicked person places so much importance to money and its power that in the end the money will be worthless to him.
The person who gives charity, and is able to part with his money, distances himself from either fantasy and instead relates to it in a practical way. He is able to view the money not just as a an object for obtaining his next yacht but also as an object for obtaining necessities in life (as the person taking the charity relates to it). By downplaying its importance (in the fantasy framework) he is able to appreciate it for what its true worth is.
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