It can often seem that there’s a tradeoff between money and relationships, that you get one only at the expense of the other. But if you want to succeed in both critical life categories—you want thriving relationships you feel great about, and to live at the peak of your financial performance, you need wisdom that’s greater than both to get there. Today, we’re talking with Rabbi Daniel Lapin, author of Business Secrets from the Bible, Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money, and The Holistic You.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BUWOoOmKFo

We’ll discuss why you need a holistic view of your financial performance, and how it relates to your family, friendships, and other relationships. This is ancient Jewish wisdom and Jewish financial principles for success in life.

If you want to feel good about your money and use it to benefit your family for generations to come… tune in now!

Table of contentsThe Holistic YouDebunking the “Scrooge”What is Business?Charity Requires ResourcesWhat is a Happy Warrior? Why You Need to be a WarriorFinding BalanceThe Pathology of PovertyImprove Your Relationships, Improve Your LifeRabbi Daniel LapinBook A Strategy Call

The Holistic You

The last time we had Rabbi Lapin as a guest, we had a fantastic time discussing Thou Shall Prosper, and the biblical wisdom of wealth. We’re delighted to welcome him back now to discuss another of his books, The Holistic You. 

This book is a manual for integrating wealth, family, faith, and more—in a way that is fulfilling. Sometimes it can feel like juggling practice, so we’re excited to take a look at Rabbi Lapin’s wisdom in finding balance. 

Rabbi Lapin came into this field because he found himself speaking to largely Christian audiences and was frequently asked, in earnest, why Jews seem to be disproportionately good with money. Without taking offense, he realized that it was a question worth pondering, and so he began to look for answers within scripture. 

Debunking the “Scrooge”

[11:23] “[Business] is one of the only areas of activity where doing well is a function of being good. And this is a very hard thing for people to hear because they love the idea of Scrooge—the horrible, selfish, [inaudible] millionaire.”

In business, reputation is actually one of the most important aspects. Because those with poor reputations don’t last long in business. So the idea of the curmudgeonly Scrooge is a fantasy. In reality, businessmen strive to have good relationships, because what happens when a reputation goes south? Investors pull out, and money flows away from the company. 

You can be an actor or a tennis player with great skill and manage to find success with a bad reputation. Business cannot be the same. 

What is Business?

[15:20] “Business is just a technical term for people being nice to each other… Whether you like it or not, we happen to live in a world where... we are incentivized to be nice to other people with an incredible blessing called financial abundance... Business is becoming as useful as you can, to as many other people as possible. What could be more beautiful?” 

Rabbi Lapin continues by saying that this is something that God smiles upon, because “Our Father in heaven is not so different from our fathers on earth.” In other words—all fathers prefer when their children get along. 

However, some believe that because business owners are making money by doing so, it morally discredits the entire process. To that, Rabbi Lapin shares the story of a woman he knows, who battled cancer and survived. And to her, it was important that she find a wig that was comfortable and natural-looking so that she could restore a sense of normalcy to her daily life. 

She searched high and low for the perfect wig, and once she had found one, began importing them. Then, she returned to her cancer treatment center and proposed a setup to help patients find a wig that suited them,