We understand God was systematically teaching the Hebrews how to live and prosper. There is compelling evidence that what God taught the Children of Israel in these early days still works today.

In Rabbi Daniel Lepin’s book Thou Shalt Prosper…The Ten Commandments of Making Money, he identifies the core principles that were ingrained in the Jewish culture during this formational time of their history. He states that Jews are disproportionately successful today and good at business because of what God planted in the Hebrew culture in those early days. As evidence he states that of the Forbes top 100 wealthy people in the world, 60% are Jewish. Additionally though Jews are only .01 % of the world population, in Germany today 85% of the businesses are in Jewish hands. We cannot ignore this.

Rabbi Lepin goes on to state it is a myth that Jews are more wealthy because they are generally smarter than the rest of the population. Though they have a high value for learning and education, for the most part they are successful today because of principles in their culture and not because of super intelligence.

God taught the Hebrews early on that work and money are good and godly things, and in fact holy. He taught them an intrinsic value for work and the reward for work. It was considered virtuous and holy. The occupation of business was considered both noble and worthy. It was noble for a person to provide something for others and appropriate that they would be compensated for it. It means you are attending to the needs of others. When you receive money…it is testament of having pleased another human being.

In the Biblical worldview, the quest for profit and wealth is positively moral. The Torah describes gold as good. It is kosher to ask God for money. It is an opportunity to bless others. According to Genesis 12:2-3, Abram was blessed to be a blessing.

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”