Do you want to make more money this year? Today, we’re talking with Rabbi Daniel Lapin, author of Thou Shall Prosper — Ten Commandments for Making Money, one of the deepest and most profoundly philosophical books about the wisdom you need to be successful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTujheo9dAk

So if you want to learn about the steps that make success possible and make more far more money than you’re making right now… tune in now!

Table of contentsThe 10 Commandments (of Making Money)Business is Not Piracy Biblical Wisdom as a FoundationThou Shall Prosper (and Be Happy)Charging InterestThe Most Important Thing To Starting a BusinessSpiritual CharacteristicsRabbi Daniel LapinBook A Strategy Call

We’re excited to bring you a unique guest who may surprise you. Rabbi Daniel Lapin is more than just a man of faith, he’s also an accomplished speaker, scholar, and author of a book on our favorite topic—Prosperity. 

The 10 Commandments (of Making Money)

While most financial books focus on returns and strategies and products, Thou Shall Prosper is a deeply profound look at the philosophical underpinnings of success and wealth. The book sprung into being after a series of lectures Rabbi Daniel Lapin gave on socio-political topics, when his most frequently asked question was, “How come Jews are so good with money?” 

It was a question many were sheepish to ask, yet it gave the Rabbi cause to study the question. Especially when he realized he did not have the answer readily at hand. And so he pursued the history of the financial success of many Jews, and in the process debunked many of the bogus explanations. 

He boiled his research down to one truth: 

[7:43] “It is that the vast catalogue of ancient Jewish wisdom embedded in the Hebrew scriptures, that have been part and parcel of Jewish culture. Whether it’s a man, dedicated sages who study the word diligently, or whether it’s among secularized Jews whose conversation around the dinnertable revolves around the way they raise their families and inculcate their children. All reflect these intrinsic values and so, in a nutshell, that’s what it was. And I worked as hard as I worked in my life to condense all of that into ten fundamental principles.”

Business is Not Piracy 

In his research, Rabbi Daniel Lapin learned many Jews became pirates in the 17th century. They pillaged and plundered and built a trove of treasure. Then when they were ready to retire from piracy, they funded churches or other projects to reenter society peacefully. It's dangerous to compare modern day business to the same model. The wealthy should not have to buy their way back into polite society.

Today, people compare businesses to this same model, despite being very different from piracy. Businesses are lauded for their donations, yet criticized for their income. Giving to charity should be a moral act, and it cannot "right" something that is not inherently wrong, like making money.

[13:02] "If giving charity is giving back to society, then what the hell were you doing to society when you were making money in the first place?"

No one complains athletes make too much. Yet people complain about CEOs—they do specialized work and are the linchpin of many major decisions. 

Biblical Wisdom as a Foundation

Our world as we know it is based on principles and ideas found in the Bible.

[23:50] “So ancient Jewish Wisdom explains that—that is the way that it teaches and explains that—you’re not allowed to exploit a lack of information in a business transaction that isn’t transparent. And so, I’m actually prohibited from offering you a price for your property without disclosing to you that I’m aware that there is a plan development or infrastructure that is going to be built there that is going to increase the value of your property—I am not allowed to make you an offer for it without disclosing that information.”

In the same way,