Money is often confused, misunderstood, and classified as part of our basic, natural, carnal human nature. But money is spiritual. Understanding, earning, using, managing, and growing money is a part of our lives that is deeply spiritual. Rabbi Lapin knows this, and shares his wisdom about money far and wide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdDMBgWHwkg

Today, Rabbi Daniel Lapin explains why, and how you can improve your finances with this one simple mindset shift. Tune in now to join the conversation!

Table of contentsOn Redistributing WealthMoney Is Spiritual: The Spiritual Attributes of MoneyThe Exception, Not the RuleWhen Should You Teach Children About Money?How Do You Price Your Services?About Rabbi LapinConnect with Rabbi LapinBook A Strategy Call

[3:45] “You’re only a slave to money when you don’t have the money.” 

On Redistributing Wealth

[6:48] “The one problem is that we don’t have a successful model anywhere in history to go on. You know, when has this approach to economics actually worked? When and where? Oh, nowhere at no time? Well then, I recommend you be extremely cautious about applying something to the lives of three hundred million people that hasn’t been successfully done anywhere. That’s one huge problem. The other huge problem is that redistribution or equality is just a really nice word for a really ugly idea, which is taking money away from people who own it. And that’s really a fundamental value of all morality. We really have to decide: Do you or do you not agree with the statement that nobody else has a right to any money that you have made?”

[8:00] “Something that’s really worthwhile [for people to understand] is that the government can only get money by taking it from the people who have made it. The government has no way to create wealth. The government can print money, but that’s just another way of taking it away from productive people, it’s called inflation. And so, no, there is no way for the government to give you money other than taking it away from other people.”

Money Is Spiritual: The Spiritual Attributes of Money

When something is physical, as Rabbi Lapin shares, you can measure it in a lab. It’s real and tangible. When something is spiritual, it’s felt. You cannot measure it in any scientific way. And yet, the affects of spirituality can be observed. While money may have physical uses, it also has spiritual significance, because it can transcend physical results. 

[16:44] “Each and every one of us can benefit financially by understanding the spiritual implications of what money really is.”

When you give someone cash, there’s a physical connection between the value of the money and the work that went into earning that money. It helps others, like children, understand the true significance of what they have, and its spiritual value. Credit cards and digital payments separate us from the value and work that went into those dollars and can make it difficult for kids to understand and appreciate them. 

[20:09] “I always made a point of walking around with more cash than I ordinarily would, simply because I wanted to make sure that if I needed to give money to a child for any legitimate purpose, it was always in cash.”

[22:57] “Money is brought into being when one human being serves another. There is no other way of money being created. And people must really understand that if the government prints money, that’s really not the creation of money at all.” 

The Exception, Not the Rule

Of course, one of the arguments against the "money is spiritual" idea is that bad people have money too. To this, Rabbi Lapin shares a story about the time he met the actor George Burns. The actor smoked a few cigars a day and was in good health. The conclusion that some people might draw is that you can be perfectly healthy by smoking cigars. However, George was clearly the exception, not the rule. There’s plenty of evidence that it’s not good for you.