Beware of Borrowing
Borrowing money destroys one’s trust in Hashem. Trust in Hashem invokes Divine abundance, so borrowing money is counter-productive to one’s livelihood…
The Garden of Bliss, Part 5
When a person who first enters the business world, he often dreams of grandeur and borrows money to achieve those dreams. He assumes that he has the golden touch, that all his dealings will succeed tremendously, that money will grow on his tree and that Hashem will grant him the ability to easily repay his debts. This is false trust in Hashem. True trust in Hashem means an intense belief that it's possible to go into business without going into debt, and if Hashem wills it, even a small business will become the vessel for Hashem's blessings. Hashem has the ability to make even a small, modest business succeed.
People take enormous loans to open a business, assuming that since they are positive that Hashem will make the business successful they will easily be able to repay their debts. Such trust in Hashem is really a misguided form of betrayal and ridiculous at that. Why? The person who makes such a statement is behaving as if he is in charge of Hashem; as if he can tell Hashem what to do; as if he can tell Hashem which business should grant him a livelihood. He is behaving as if he is in charge of Hashem's blessings, and since he is the one in charge, he is able to borrow money with the full understanding that Hashem will grant him the means to repay the loan.
Who does such a person think he is? Does he really think that there is money lacking in Hashem's heavenly coffers and that therefore is doing Hashem a favor by borrowing money until that money is replenished? A person who truly trusts in Hashem, as he claims he does, will believe that Hashem's heavenly coffers are bursting with hard cash and that Hashem has the ability to grant him that money if He so desires. If Hashem does not grant him that money, then that too is Hashem's Will. A person who truly trusts in Hashem does not borrow money under the assumption that in the future Hashem will grant him a larger income than what he presently has.
This false trust in Hashem is completely illogical. How can a person borrow money under the assumption that in the future Hashem will grant him a fatter paycheck – and even if Hashem does grant him that fatter paycheck, how does he know that he will be able to use it to cover his debts?
Does anyone know what the future has in store for him? Every Rosh Hashana, Hashem decrees each person's livelihood for the entire years; how can a person claim to know what Hashem decreed for him last Rosh Hashana or what Hashem will decree for him on the coming Rosh Hashana? Perhaps all his dreams will be shattered, and he will end up wallowing in debt without earning a cent from all his grandiose plans? These people are living in a dream world. Sure, their wallets are always stuffed with hundred dollar bills as they borrow from Yankel to pay Yitzchak, but not a cent of it belongs to them. In reality, they have nothing, except shattered fantasies.
Borrowing money to "wheel and deal" has its source in the Dark Side, the unholy side of spirituality. That type of behavior is the complete opposite of a Torah lifestyle and of demonstrating one's trust in the Almighty. It's a sham, and more often than not, a business based on such an approach quickly disintegrates, and the so called businessman ends up running around in circles trying to keep his head above water and not fall into complete financial ruin.
What is the source of such a mistake? Sometimes, when a person's business is a success, he thinks that his business acumen is the source of his comfortable life. He becomes overconfident of his ability to succeed, and forgets that his success is really from Hashem, and that Hashem who is using his successful business as a means to make his life pleasant and comfortable. Because Hashem wants him to have a pleasant and comfortable life, he is able to make such a good profit from such a modest business.
The moment a person removes Hashem from the equation and thinks that his financial success is a result of his excellent business skills, he arrives at the false conclusion that he can increase his wealth through borrowing huge sums of money to expand his business. But Hashem is the One who increases a person's income, and all the business deals in the world will never change what has been decreed on a person from Above. All too often after concluding all the business deals, a person comes to the realization that he did not earn a cent, and in many instances, the additional loans become the reason for his financial downfall.
A person who truly believes in Hashem and trusts in Hashem will make sure that his business dealings stay within his financial limitations.
11/25/2008
Would you please apply this to the US economic meltdown/bail-outs? Dear Rabbi, First, let me thank you, and Lazer Beams, for being me and my wife’s “rock” while residing here in Sodom & Gomorrah (San Francisco). Second, could you comment on how these principles apply to the US economic meltdown & bail-outs. Thirdly, do these principles apply to borrowing fixed mortgages for homes? Shalom and G-d bless!
11/25/2008
Dear Rabbi, First, let me thank you, and Lazer Beams, for being me and my wife’s “rock” while residing here in Sodom & Gomorrah (San Francisco). Second, could you comment on how these principles apply to the US economic meltdown & bail-outs. Thirdly, do these principles apply to borrowing fixed mortgages for homes? Shalom and G-d bless!