My Mind on My Money
January 1 – 7, 2006
Most people don’t consider money to be under the realm of spirituality, but it is. And considering we just began the new month of Capricorn, money is bound to be on our minds these next few weeks.
Money is one of the purest forms of energy there is because money is energy in potential - it can be a seed, and if used positively and proactively, it can reveal enormous Light.
Kabbalah offers a very specific and powerful way to protect the money you have and to bring more sustenance to your life. It’s called tithing. The word “tithe” is related to the Hebrew word eser, which means “ten.” Tithing is giving away 10% of the net profit you earn.
Giving away 10% of your net income may seem like a strange way to go about increasing your wealth, but tithing is a technology that ensures the money you have is protected. This is a complex concept; stay with me here…
The foundation of tithing is based on the kabbalistic principle that reality is divided into ten levels of consciousness. The lowest level is material reality, called malchut, which is an expression of desire for oneself alone. These ten levels exist within your financial sustenance, so giving away 10% of your earnings allows you to disconnect from the desire to receive for the self alone - the malchut level - and to connect only to the elevated levels of spiritual energy in your money.
Tithing is not really even about giving in the sense you might initially expect. It’s more about getting rid of the negative presence in your earnings, the malchut portion. In this way, the remaining 90% of your wealth is infused with the power of the Light and cannot be touched by darkness and chaos. It’s like entering into a silent partnership with the Light.
And the truth is, the dark side has a way of making you tithe, regardless of whether you’re aware of it or not. Think about all the money you lose each month – in parking tickets, home repairs, overpaying for something you find on sale elsewhere, or missing out on that great price for a plane ticket you ended up paying more for.
Either you can proactively share and spread Light to the world, or tithing can happen to you.
It’s not uncommon to be resistant to the idea of tithing. At first it doesn’t make sense, and it certainly takes one out of the comfort zone. Yet tithing has been an accepted practice for at least the last 2,000 years (as written about in the sacred texts of Kabbalah), and it is a common practice amongst many spiritual traditions. In fact, the biggest winner on “Jeopardy” stated from the beginning that 10% of whatever he earned on the show would go to the Mormon Church – and he went on to win more than any game show contestant in history!
I suggest you try it - this is the ideal month for it. The nature of Capricorn is to hold on tight to money, so the very act of overcoming this desire, especially now, will reveal tremendous Light. And as with everything else in spirituality, you have to experience it for yourself to truly grasp its power.
There are countless worthwhile organizations out there that need help at every level. But before you tithe your money, it is essential that you consider the charity or person you are tithing to. The Zohar teaches that your tithing becomes Light, so you need to know that your Light will be used to spread more Light as efficiently as possible.
Have a great week and a prosperous New Year.
All the Best,
Yehuda