Winning the lottery isn’t all it is cracked up to be. Studies have shown that a very high percentage of winners lose their winnings within a few years and/or experience serious issues with mental health and addiction. Sudden wealth is a major challenge for many people. This is not a new phenomenon. In this week’s Parsha, Va’eschanan, we learn that it is not just sudden wealth that is a challenge, but also wealth that you didn’t have to work for.
Moshe tells the people: Devarim 6: (10) It shall be, when Hashem your God shall bring you into the land which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, great and goodly cities, which you didn’t build,(11) and houses full of all good things, which you didn’t fill, and hewn cisterns, which you didn’t dig, vineyards and olive trees, which you didn’t plant, and you shall eat and be full;(12) then beware lest you forget Hashem who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Seforno (1475-1549) comments that Moshe warns the people not to forget Hashem who took them out of slavery because the people will have become wealthy without working for it. Wealth that is achieved in this manner generally leads a person to seek pleasures and fill his desires. And then they will forget their Maker. The Malbim (1809-1879) adds that even a person who was enslaved and was freed by someone is likely to forget their origins and the person who saved them, if they achieve sudden wealth without having worked hard and put in effort.
While wealth can always be a challenge, it is the fact that you didn’t have to work to achieve it, that is the biggest challenge. This is why it is so important for parents to teach their children values and not to give them everything just because they can afford it.
Moshe understood the challenge the people would face and warned them in advance to be prepared. Recognizing the problem is the first step in avoiding the trap. By adhering to the values of the Torah and being aware of the temptations that our wealth poses, we can make sure that we conduct ourselves in an appropriate manner and not get caught up in impulses and desires that will lead us down the wrong path.
Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Shaps and the JET Team
