At the beginning of the year many of us are thinking about resources to better ourselves. As our regular readers know, one of the resources I use for this blog is the book by Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments For Making Money. In this book he explains the Biblical Hebrew worldview of making money we find in the Old Testament. If you have already read my book and want to read just one book to add value to your understanding of making money, this is the one I recommend.

However, for the many who will not read this book, I have summarized his 10 Commandments below to stir your thinking for this year. Perhaps one of these commandments will stir some practical steps you can take to change your finances this year.

Rabbi Lapin’s 10 Commandments:

1. Believe in the Dignity and Morality of Business.  Recognize that you are in business, and that the occupation of business is moral, noble and worthy.
2.  Extend the Network of Your Connectedness to Many People. Only by actively and perhaps even joyously interacting with other people can the circumstances of wealth creation be set in place.
3. Get to Know Yourself.  Even if you work for someone else, prosper in it by seeking new responsibilities and over deliver to exceed others expectations.
4. Do Not Pursue Perfection.In both business and your personal life, try to become comfortable with the second best solution if the very best solution is unattainable.
5. Lead Consistently and Constantly. Don’t try to become a leader; start leading!
6. Constantly Change The Changeable, While Steadfastly Clinging to the Unchangeable. Convert change from enemy to ally by understanding when to enjoy the exhilaration of change and when to fight it and steadfastly defend the unchangeable.
7. Learn To Foretell The Future. Wisdom is seeing tomorrow’s consequences of today’s events.
8. Know Your Money.Your money is a quantifiable analog for your life force- the aggregate of your time, skills, experience persistence, and relationships.
9. Act Rich: Give Away 10 Percent of your After Tax Income. Don’t live beyond your means: instead give beyond your means.
10. Never Retire. Integrate your vocation and your identity by thinking of life as a journey rather than a destination.

Rabbi Daniel Lapin’s book Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments For Making Money.