Money as Tangible Kindness

We often hear the phrase, “Money is the root of all evil.” Let’s look at it from a different perspective.

Money, in and of itself, is neither holy nor corrupt. It is a tool.

And when viewed properly, money may be understood as one of the most practical and powerful forms of chesed—loving-kindness—that G-d has placed in the world.

A New Way to Look at Money

Recently, while studying Love Your Neighbor as Yourself by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, I was reflecting on the mitzvah of loving one’s fellow human being and how that ideal expresses itself in daily life.

As I left the kollel (an institute for advanced full-time or part-time Torah study) one day, I looked across the street at a supermarket.

Suddenly, I saw the building in a completely different way.

Someone’s capital financed the construction of that store.

The store provides food and essential products to thousands of people.

It employs cashiers, stock clerks, managers, and delivery workers.

Those employees earn salaries that support their families.

Families use those wages to buy food,........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)