Understanding the Wealth Principles of the Talmud: Jewish Philosophy of Prosperity
According to statistics, Jews make up almost half of the wealthiest entrepreneurs worldwide.
Among American millionaires, one-third are Jewish, and among the top 40 on the list of American billionaires, 18 are Jewish.
Why are Jewish people so wealthy?
The answer lies in a book called ‘The Talmud.’
This book is an accumulation of Jewish wisdom, gathering their experiences and harboring their money-making principles.
After reading ‘The Talmud three times, I summarized a viewpoint from the book: Money follows a pattern, and the path to wealth is traceable.
Do things wrongly, and money flows elsewhere; do things right, and money naturally arrives.
Getting the order of money-making right is the premise for breaking free from poverty and living a prosperous life.
The quest for financial prosperity is a pursuit many engage in, and the Jewish community has long been associated with notable success in this realm. Exploring the secrets behind their wealth brings us to a profound text, the Talmud.
Unveiling the Talmudic Insights
In a world where statistical analysis often highlights the prevalence of Jewish individuals among the wealthiest, the roots of their financial success trace back to the teachings of the Talmud. This compilation of Jewish wisdom encapsulates not just their survival experiences but also harbors the philosophy behind their wealth accumulation.
Financial Success: A Structured Path
After delving into the Talmud three times, a crucial revelation surfaced: wealth follows a pattern. This insight resonates deeply, emphasizing the structured nature of financial success.
The Principles of Accumulation
1. Taking Flight before Adjustment
The Talmud recounts a story of two Jewish merchants aiming to do business across the Jordan River. Their differing approaches led to distinct outcomes. One meticulously planned without action, while the other embarked promptly. This divergence in decision-making mirrors the essence of the Talmud’s teachings — action is the key to progress.
“First take off, then adjust your posture.
“The Book of Talmud” recounts a story:
Two Jewish merchants both wanted to do business across the Jordan River.
One of the merchants started raising money early, planning the route and business strategy but never quite got ready.
The other merchant loaded a boat with goods, took a map, and set off resolutely.
As a result, the second year, the second merchant returned with a boat full of wealth while the first merchant was still preparing.
In the story, the different choices of the two Jewish merchants actually led to two different lives.
Faced with inner thoughts, many people choose to plan first, be ready, and then act, but the result always remains in the same place.
In reality, only by hitting the road, truly taking the first step, can you gradually reach the desired destination.
I recall a segment in “The Social Network” about Zuckerberg’s experience.
One evening, Zuckerberg was dumped by his girlfriend. When he returned to the dorm, he remained gloomy.
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind:
“Could I create an app that uploads photos of girls from school to a website for students to rate?”
He acted on the idea, immediately sat in front of the computer, and focused on writing the code.
Soon, a product named FaceMash smoothly emerged, went online, and was a great success at Harvard University.
What’s astonishing is:
From the birth of the idea to the design, development, and launch of the product, Zuckerberg only spent 6 hours.
It’s precisely because of Zuckerberg’s astonishing ability to act that he was able to swiftly launch Facebook and ascend into the ranks of the wealthy.
it is said, most of the legends in the world are just ordinary people who turned their thoughts into action.
If everything always stays in the planning stage, there will never be any results.
Learn to turn “thinking again” into “do it now,” execute first and then refine; it’s the fundamental logic for achieving something.
Just as the Jewish proverb says, first take off and then adjust your posture.
Action is the key to unlocking the door to wealth. Start doing it, and the future you desire will come to you.”
2. Finding Direction before Diligence
The adage within the Talmud, “A sharpshooter hitting the mark a hundred times but without a target cannot succeed in a competition,” illustrates the importance of direction. Yang Zhenning, a Nobel laureate, emphasizes the significance of choosing the right direction in life.
“First find the right direction, then cultivate deeply.
There’s a famous line in ‘Talmud’:
‘A sharpshooter who never misses, if shooting aimlessly, cannot win in a competition.’
One who can’t find a target, lacks direction, is like a sharpshooter without a target, no matter how hard they try, it’s all just ‘aimless busywork.’
During a discussion, a student asked Yang Zhenning, ‘What’s the most important thing in life?’
it is said, ‘Looking at the lifelong development, the most important thing is not the technical knowledge you’ve acquired or the theorems, but it’s crucial to move in the right direction.’
In this world, what determines life isn’t where you stand but the direction you’re heading.
First find the right direction, then make the effort to cultivate deeply. This way, one won’t be lost, and effort will have meaning.
In ‘The Goal Principle,’ there’s a story.
When the automobile tycoon Ford entered the industry, steam was the primary source of power for cars.
Many professionals chose to continue developing steam power, improving steam mechanisms.
But Ford was thinking, ‘If cars can run on steam, they should run on gasoline.’
Hence, he set a goal to change the power source of automobiles and gave himself ten years to accomplish it.
Since then, he started as an apprentice in a factory, delving into mechanical manufacturing, later studying the principles of fuel engines.
No matter how tiring the work, he used his time after hours to research and develop.
Thus, with relentless persistence, at the age of 29, he finally succeeded in manufacturing the first car engine using gasoline instead of steam.
This revolutionary creation led Ford to great success, making him a renowned automobile king in the United States.
One statement is highly acknowledged: ‘Choice is more important than effort.’
If the direction is wrong, the faster you go, the farther you are from the goal. If the direction is right, no matter how far, you’ll eventually reach it.
Focused choice surpasses all meaningless busyness.
Learn to find your own track, invest your efforts in things of real value.
When you choose the right direction and persistently cultivate, you’ll naturally unearth your own treasures in the deep well of wealth.”
3. Overcoming Mental Poverty before Financial Poverty
The Talmud’s narrative of a poor man’s cyclical decision-making echoes the essence of mental poverty. The ability to see beyond immediate gains is the cornerstone of substantial wealth acquisition.
“First solve the poverty of the mind, then solve financial poverty.
What is poverty of the mind?
Author Agan says that poverty of the mind is cognitive stagnation, fundamentally a kind of shortsightedness that makes one only see immediate benefits, thus missing out on good opportunities.
In ‘Talmud,’ there’s a story of a poor man.
This poor man had nothing but walls around him. A rich man felt sorry for him and gave him a cow to start farming.
According to the plan, by the next harvest season, the poor man would be able to escape poverty and become wealthy.
The poor man was very happy and took the cow to the fields every day.
But soon, he felt that life was even harder than before because the cow needed grass and feed.
After some thought, he sold the cow and bought two sheep, thinking that sheep reproduce quickly.
However, he soon found life even more difficult as the two sheep ate more food.
So, he sold the sheep and bought a group of chickens, believing that eggs from the chickens would be produced faster than lambs.
But having only eggs wasn’t enough for him; now and then, he’d kill a chicken to eat. Consequently, before long, he had no chickens left.
By the second year, the poor man remained in poverty.
In ‘Inspirational Wisdom,’ it’s said that the poor think of the present, while the rich consider the future.
By overcoming the poverty of the mind and looking far enough, continuously expanding one’s horizons, can one win more.
The stock market guru, Buffett, once consecutively became the world’s richest man for several years.
But few know that 99% of Buffett’s wealth was acquired after he turned 50.
Different from others who buy and sell based on market fluctuations, Buffett analyzes the prospects of a company before buying its stocks.
To him, if a company has potential for development, the rise in its stock value is inevitable.
Even during several downturns, he holds onto the stocks instead of selling, doubling down instead.
With this long-term vision, Buffett became a top billionaire.
In ‘The Way to Wealth,’ it’s stated that ‘poor’ is restricted by abilities and experience, while ‘poverty’ is restricted by the inner self.
Money can always be earned back, but when the mind is impoverished, one can never turn things around.
More crucial than resolving material scarcity is overcoming inner poverty.
Learning to break free from temporal and spatial constraints, not placing excessive importance on immediate gains or losses.
Looking further, continuously broadening perspectives, enhancing cognition, only then can one obtain the code to wealth.”
4. Allowing Others to Profit before Reaping Personal Gains
The story of Jewish merchant Kuzma sheds light on a profound philosophy — allowing others to profit can lead to reciprocal gains. This principle is echoed in the practices of successful figures such as Warren Buffet , showcasing the interconnected nature of prosperity.
First let others make money, then profit yourself.
The Talmud records such a story.
Jewish man Kuzma ran an antique shop.
His main suppliers were local farmers. When in need of money, farmers would sell their antiques to Kuzma.
Of course, among them were genuine antiques and many fakes.
But every time someone came to sell, regardless of authenticity, Kuzma instructed the staff to store them in the warehouse.
Once, a staff member asked in confusion, “You know there are fakes in there, why accept them all?”
Kuzma smiled and said:
“I accept them all to let them make a bit more money. In the future, when they have good goods, they’ll come to me first, and I can easily receive many valuable antiques.”
it is said, profit is not solitary but shared.
Selfish individuals often isolate themselves from others. Understanding to let others make money first is how you gain more benefits.
In the 1920s, there was a medicine merchant . He bought medicinal materials from farmers and resold them to pharmacies.
At that time, the market was very unstable. Sometimes, shortly after purchasing the materials, the market price would drop.
Most merchants, no matter how much the market dropped, still sold at regular prices to retail pharmacies.
But he was different.
If the market dropped, he proactively reduced the wholesale price of the medicinal materials, even at his own expense, to ensure the pharmacies could make a profit.
His peers laughed at him for being too naive, but he said:
“Let others ‘make a bit’, as long as others have a share in their pot, we won’t lack a ladle in our bowl.”
Because he insisted on letting others earn more, many shops cooperated with him, and his business became increasingly popular, eventually making substantial profits.
it is said, having an altruistic heart in life can enhance a person’s sense of achievement and happiness, and eventually, the returns will come back to oneself, which is also beneficial.
Those who truly make big money always believe in “I want to win, but I want the people around me to win too.”
In one’s lifetime, accidental success is luck, but inevitable success is about perspective.
Understanding to benefit others, fulfill others more, will eventually fulfill yourself.
The Talmud teaches a valuable sequence: actions lead to results, but it’s the way individuals conduct themselves and handle situations that truly unlocks financial prosperity. Embracing the ethos of the Talmud, applying these principles in our lives, and sharing this wisdom with others can pave the way for lasting success and abundance.
