Is it Wrong to Want to Be Rich?

A lot of people think about money in a derogatory way, for instance, as the root of all evil. Others think of money simply as a means: that we work, earn, and can then pay for what we need and want. The latter seems quite clear and logical: by earning, we are not a burden on society, we do not take charity, and we can then enjoy our lives. In Hebrew, the word for money is “Kesef,” which comes from the word for “covering” (“Kisui”), i.e., money lets us cover our needs with our labor. In other words, we exert with our minds and our feelings, and such labor covers our needs. Money is not bad and should not be thought of in a derogatory manner. There is no problem with money in and of itself. On the contrary, we can be proud of it. The problem is when we chase money not as a means, but as an end, when we make of it a certain idol, a God, bowing before it and wanting only to make more and more money. When we pursue money in such a way, viewing it as an unlimited source of fulfill