Rabbi Tells ‘Why We Love Our Billionaires’ and Urges Support of Jewish Ed. Charities First

America by far has the most billionaires in the world. New York City ranks number one as the city with the most billionaires, and specifically the Upper East Side has one of the highest concentrations of wealth in the world.

For Jews, there’s no dichotomy between body and soul, material and spiritual. External wealth is a reflection of potential inner wealth, richness of the soul and spirit. Some of the greatest spiritual giants in history like the Patriarchs, Joseph, Moses and King Solomon were billionaires.

The Talmud (Tractate Eiruvin 86a) states that Rebbe respected wealth. Every one of us was given a portion of this world that we are responsible for cultivating into a delightful Garden of Eden. We are G-d’s ambassadors representing Him here on earth. A very small number were chosen and entrusted by G-d to have such massive influence and were privileged with the mission to use that influence to have a huge impact.

The billionaire faces a much greater challenge than the rest of us. Many wonder why it is easier for the lower-to middle-income person to fulfill their obligation to give 10% of their earnings—with many living up to the ideal of giving 20% of their income—to charity than it is for the billionaire. The reason is that the craving for money is unique among all other cravings in that there’s never a point of satiation or satisfaction.

As the Talmudic rabbis state in Midrash Kohelet Rabbah (#1): “He who has 100 craves 200, and he who has 200 craves 400.” In other words, the one who has 100 doesn’t really have 100; rather, he is missing 100, and the one who has 200 is missing 200. The billionaire can’t give because he has less money than you. He doesn’t have a billion; he’s missing a billion. And the one who was blessed with 10 billion has even less to give because he’s missing 10 billion.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of blessed memory, introduced a novel, revolutionary, and transformational concept. His position was that we have to utilize this all-too-human insatiable desire and craving in a positive way. If you gave one million dollars to charity, instead of feeling smug, satisfied, and virtuous, you should feel that you’re missing one million and should double your donation.

We are the wealthiest generation in history. King Solomon could only dream of the luxuries available to each and every one of us. Instead of feeling rage, jealousy and resentment we should be grateful and feel blessed.

Charity begins at home. The measure of a man is not how kindly he treats strangers, but how kindly he treats his own. While supporting hospitals, museums, and the right universities is laudable, for Jewish billionaires the number one priority must be Jewish education, especially the youth. If we don’t support our own, no one will. According to Jewish law, the synagogue must be the tallest building in town. If a billionaire spends 70 million dollars on his home on Park Avenue, he must spend at least 70 million plus one dollar to give to G-d and to the Jewish community to ensure that all 70,000 Jews living on the Upper East Side are proud of their Jewishness and their rich heritage.

Who will be the first billionaire to build a “yacht on land”? Who will use all that money to build a beautiful Jewish educational center— the eighth wonder of the world—that would be a magnet drawing in Jews as well as non-Jews, uplifting them and communicating the depth and richness of the universal values of the Torah that are applicable to all mankind?

Rabbi Ben Krasnianski is the director of Chabad Upper East Side.