In Parshat Vayechi, Yaakov summons his children to his death bed so he can bless them one last time. He gives a unique blessing to each son. Every bracha is poetic and prophetic, reflecting the individual’s character, and echoing the tribe’s destiny. It provides fascinating insights into the heritage and future that Yaakov envisioned for his descendants.
There were a few brachot, in particular, that jumped out to me as having financial lessons that are applicable to Orthodox Jewish families today. Some of these points I’ve alluded to in the past, while others are new ideas. Hopefully every reader can find a nugget or two to apply to their own financial life.
Yissachar and Zevulun: Yaakov blessed Zevulun to dwell by the seashore and be a haven for ships. While his blessing for Yissachar was comparing him to a strong donkey, willing to carry burdens and serve in labor. This symbolically describes how Zevulun provides financial support to Yissachar and in return receives a portion of Yissachar’s reward for their Torah study.
The most obvious applicability to frum families today is when a child wants to pursue a life in kollel, spending most of their waking hours studying Torah. Throughout the years I’ve had numerous people approach me who are in a financial conundrum. They want to be able to retire, but also want to support a family member in kollel.
For every bad financial experience regarding kollel, I imagine there are many positive ones. The most non-financially stressful kollel experience requires a Yissachar and Zevulun relationship that is clearly defined from the onset. It should involve a written contract so both parties are held accountable for their responsibilities. It should lay out the terms of financial support, including dollar amounts, frequency, length of time, and conditions of ongoing funding. This may seem rigid and unpleasant, but the more specific a contract, the more likely that both parties fulfill their part of the obligation. This will allow the kollelnik and financial sponsor to live the lifestyle they want. Failure to learn from the Yissachar and Zevulun relationship will only lead to financial hardship later.
Asher: Yaakov’s blessing for Asher is succinct. It simply says that “Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall provide royal delicacies.” However, if you look at Rashi, he explains that the food from Asher’s territory will be rich and there will be an abundance of it.
This blessing points to an idea that I have shared on several occasions, which is the power of moving to the right location. Being smart about where you decide to live is as close to a silver bullet in financial planning as anyone can get. Depending on your goals, your location can provide you with many benefits to ease your financial burden. A particular location can provide a family with more job opportunities or more lucrative career prospects. It may offer the most affordable housing and yeshiva tuition prices. For some folks, it may provide a more tight-knit community or allow you to live closer to family.
Regardless of your life goals, making the conscious effort to reside in a place with “riches” and “abundance” to suit your family’s unique needs is the key to a positive financial trajectory.
Yehuda: Yaakov’s blessing to Yehuda may be the most financially instructive of all. In Yaakov’s blessing, he notes Yehuda’s leadership qualities and wishes him to properly implement them. Yaakov compares Yehuda to a lion and said his brothers will look to him as their leader.
Looking at Yehuda’s history helps explain his blessing. We see multiple instances in the Torah of Yehuda taking initiative and exemplifying his innate leadership. One example is in the story of the brothers going down to Egypt seeking food when Yosef accused Binyamin of stealing his goblet. These events culminated with Yehuda coming to Binyamin’s defense and calling out Yosef for not being straightforward with them. At that point, Yosef admitted to being their brother, which lead to the reconciliation for the whole family.
Yaakov’s description of Yehuda as a lion symbolizes Yehuda’s power, leadership, and enduring reign. It is also prophetic in the sense that it represents his victory over his enemies and his status as a dangerous opponent.
Though Yehuda has demonstrated leadership, we also see him fail. This can be seen most clearly in his relationship with Tamar. Ultimately, Yehuda admitted that he erred and took the blame for his actions despite the embarrassment these missteps would undoubtedly cause him.
Yehuda’s life and decisions are perhaps most instructive about money because it teaches us the qualities that are essential for a successful career. Earning a living is tough. However, those who succeed typically have Yehuda-esque traits. They take initiative even if it involves risks. They muster up the strength of a lion to overcome the inevitable setbacks and obstacles along the way. Finally, those who succeed can admit missteps, learn the hard lessons, and grow from their mistakes. What made Yehuda the ideal leader is not his intellect, upbringing, or pedigree. In these respects, he was not better than any of his brothers. Rather, it’s his ability to make the most of opportunities, persevere, and course correct when necessary. Those are the same attributes that it takes for anyone to be successful in business and in life.
It’s important to note, that all Jews have a piece of Yehuda within them. Not only is the word “Jew” derived from the name Yehuda, but most Jews are descendants from this surviving Kingdom. Yehuda’s blessing and personality is one that we can all relate to and help inspire us to be the most accomplished version of ourselves.
May we internalize the money lessons from Yaakov’s blessings to help us achieve material and spiritual success!
