Thank you, dear God, for this good life, and forgive us if we do not love it enough. Thank you for the rain. And for the chance to wake up in three hours and go fishing: I thank you for that now, because I won’t feel so thankful then. - Garrison Keillor
A few days ago, I was watching some fishing videos. What can I say, I love watching fishing videos. One of my favorite tv shows is the ‘Wicked Tuna”! I started reminiscing about how when I was younger, we used to go salmon fishing almost every Sunday from late spring until early winter.
I clearly remember how I would go to sleep at 1-2am on Saturday night, only to have my father a”h come in and wake me up 2 hours later, so that we could first pray and then try and be on the water before sunrise- the best time to catch salmon. While we rarely actually made it out before sunrise, and weren’t the most successful fisherman, nearly 40 years later I can tell you how thankful I am of those days, even though I might not have been so thankful then when I was woken up!
This week we read the Torah portion of Ki Tavo. The beginning of the portion begins with the commandment to bring the first fruits. Imagine the farmer who has toiled and toiled and finally sees the reward of the hard work, only instead of enjoying it by eating, he must bring it to Jerusalem and make a declaration thanking the Lord for both the land and all the good that has been received.
As I have quoted many times, I thought that bringing an idea from Rabbi Berel Wein, who recently passed away would be appropriate. He wrote, “Saying thank you is one of the basic courtesies of human interaction. Though elementary and straightforward, it is often forgotten or neglected. In saying thank you, we are acknowledging that we are dependent upon the goodness and consideration of others and that we are not completely in control over events and even of our own decisions in life.”
Too often we perceive our great achievements as a testament to our greatness and fall prey to “And you may say in your heart, ‘My strength and the might of my hand made this victory’.”
Rabbi Wein continued, “There is no question that the farmer invested a great deal of effort, sweat and toil in bringing his crops to fruition. Because of this effort and the investment on the part of the farmer, there is a temptation that he will view these new fruits as an entitlement. For after all, he was the one who devoted the time and effort necessary to produce them. There is a danger that he will forget that there really are no entitlements in life and that one has to say thank you for everything that is achieved, though ostensibly we have labored to achieve this much desired goal. Rather, it is incumbent upon the farmer to thank his Creator for the land and the natural miracles that occurred daily in the production of food, grain and fruit.”
Repentance, prayer and charity play a central role this time of year as the way for us to avert a bad decree and receive a favorable judgement from the almighty. A few years ago, I told a story of someone I know who consulted for a charity giving platform. He told me that he had met many net-worth individuals and many of them had not given much thought to giving.
I was shocked. Well, forward to a few weeks ago and I spoke with a friend who had just sold his company for a huge amount of money. I mentioned that I remembered how he had started his firm sitting in a cheap chair with a laptop in a dark little room and how amazing it was that he had accomplished this milestone.
He said that while he worked very hard, he was no smarter than most and for some reason had merited this success from G-d. When we discussed his future plans, it was a given that philanthropy would play a major role. My trust in humanity was restored!
Every year without fail, before Rosh Hashana and Pesach, the media is full of stories about how more and more people have no food for the holidays, juxtaposed with how much a trip abroad at a 5-star hotel for the holiday costs. Maybe the emphasis, especially at this time of year, should be put on bettering society.
Even in success, don't forget to be thankful
You may be a great entrepreneur or computer programmer but internalize the lesson of bringing the first fruits. It’s not all you. Give thanks for being so fortunate that you hit the financial jackpot. For these multi-millionaires, they can actually fund or create projects that are near and dear to their hearts. They can take giving charity to the next level. This will of course bring tremendous meaning for the rest of their lives. Keep in mind that our High Holiday prayers are in the plural. The time of year is not about ‘I’. It’s about ‘us’.
If you have come into a financial windfall, take some time and figure out how you can help build a better society. And don’t forget to say thank you.
The information contained in this article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of Portfolio Resources Group, Inc. or its affiliates.
Aaron Katsman is author of the book Retirement GPS: How to Navigate Your Way to A Secure Financial Future with Global Investing (McGraw-Hill), and is a licensed financial professional both in the United States and Israel, and helps people who open investment accounts in the United States. Securities are offered through Portfolio Resources Group, Inc. (www.prginc.net). Member FINRA, SIPC, MSRB, FSI. For more information, call (02) 624-0995 visit www.aaronkatsman.com or email aaron@lighthousecapital.co.il.