What does ancient Jewish wisdom reveal about successful family enterprise and leaving a legacy?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrX7GpP4__E

Today, we’re talking with Rabbi Daniel Lapin. He is the author of Thou Shalt Prosper—Ten Commandments for Making Money, and Business Secrets from the Bible. In this conversation, we’re digging into ancient Jewish wisdom for successful families, and how to navigate inheritance and family giving.

So if you want to do the most for your kids, get more people to listen, and do the most with your money… tune in now!

Table of contentsScrolling Through the ScriptureLife is like a Power StationThe Importance of GivingCreating a Financially Responsible FamilyHow to Have More ControlSteering Your Family UnitInheritance and Family GivingPrevious Discussions with Rabbi LapinAbout Rabbi Daniel LapinBook A Strategy Call

Scrolling Through the Scripture

Since we last spoke with Rabbi Daniel Lapin, he’s been further developing his Scrolling Through Scripture program. He designed this program to help people unpack the Hebrew text. The technology allows people with no background in Hebrew to start understanding the scripture, and understand it better. 

[4:39] “In reality, it’s rather extraordinary that we live right now, in the very first time of human history where people who see themselves, and are viewed by their contemporaries, as educated and influential and knowledgeable, are completely ignorant about the Bible.”

The Hebrew text reveals answers to questions about the English translations of the Bible and provides necessary context. Because many people seem to have a sort of “amnesia,” as Rabbi Lapin puts it, about the cultural relevance of the Bible. 

[9:53] “We’re not necessarily dealing with people who literally have had amnesia, but if you think of people who have come of age in the last 30 years, they’ve got the equivalent of amnesia, in the sense that the cultural bricks that have been put in place to build their personality and their relationships to the world in many ways are distorted and ineffective.”

Life is like a Power Station

In previous discussions with Rabbi Lapin, we’ve talked about several of his books, which share financial wisdom from the Bible. On one hand, we’ve discussed how making money is a natural progression of doing something of value in the world. On the other hand, we’ve also talked about the importance of giving first, before you even make a profit. Today, we want to talk about this more deeply with the Rabbi. 

To this, Rabbi Lapin shares a comparison between operating a car versus a nuclear power plant. A car is typically very straightforward to operate. There’s some learning curve, but it’s not overly complex. So, if something goes wrong while you’re driving, like a crash, it’s instantaneous. On the other hand, there are dozens upon dozens of things to know to operate a power plant. And the system is so complex, you may not understand you’ve done something wrong until much later down the road. 

[15:39] “Life is like the nuclear power station, not like driving the car. Which is to say, that many of the things you need to know about the safe and proper operation of your life do not show up immediately.”

It may be years before you realize that some of the decisions you’ve made aren’t the right decisions. Sometimes, it takes some time to figure out you’ve done the right thing, too. For example, if you decide to follow the “giving route” and your friend decides to follow the “taking route,” it’s possible that the taking route might seem like the more attractive option at the start. 

The Importance of Giving

[18:40] “We are made, we are created, to operate. We are lubricated by being givers, not takers—we are corroded by being takers. It’s like running that engine without an oil change. We thrive by being givers.”

Rabbi Lapin raises an interesting point about the role of children in families.