At What Point Did Jewish People Gain a Reputation for Being Good at Business?

The subject of money and the Jewish mind brings up associations like life wisdom, entrepreneurship, commerce, opportunities, intuition, creating connections, behind-the-scenes consulting, strategy, planning, mental agility, quick grasp, inventions, sophistication, manipulations, and schemes. There is a certain feeling that money and Jews were always tied together.

Originally, Jews are not a people like other nations that were formed on the basis of a common biological basis, but an ideological group that gathered around a spiritual idea. Abraham the Babylonian taught all who were willing to listen how we could unite in love above differences in order to align ourselves with the unity of nature. His thousands of students became a separate community, which the sources initially called "the people of Abraham’s household," and from which they later emerged as "the people of Israel."

Those people came from all nations and tribes living in the area at the time. They had a very strong tendency to crack the secret of life, to understand the essence of creation, where we came from, where we are headed, and what is life's meaning and purpose.

This group learned a method of how to shift from the egoistic desire imprinted in us to an altruistic one, a desire to bestow goodness to others. They formed an integral connection, which became a tool for opening the full depth of nature, the research and discovery of the single force at nature's foundation, the quality of which is pure love and bestowal.

Like cells in a body that interconnect and let the force of life flow through the body, people who positively connect let the force of nature—love and bestowal—flow among their connections until they become one spiritual body. They then begin to feel a force of new life among them, an existence on a higher level than what they naturally feel when perceiving reality from the individual, egoistic desire.

We define the feeling of a common life at such a level as spiritual existence, and it is independent of the physical body's existence, not limited by the five senses. It does not end with the physical body's death, but continues in a dimension beyond time, space, and motion.

The spiritual body that was created in bonds of love has many names, among them "the assembly of Israel" ("Knesset Israel"), "Shechina” (“Divinity”), and collective soul. The concept of the Jew points to the ability to carry out unification with others, and in essence this is the entire foundation of Judaism and of Jews.

Throughout the generations, children born into this group learned how to connect above the ever-growing ego, according to principles such as “each shall help one's friend,” “do not do to your friend what you hate,” “love your neighbor as yourself,” and “all of Israel are friends.”

However, at a certain point, the ego grew to a level that they could no longer rise above with greater love. People no longer wanted to fulfill the needs of others and society. The flow of life that had existed between open hearts stopped, until the people completely left the spiritual sensation. This state is called "ruin," and it led to the exile from the Land of Israel. This place is meant for people who intend to connect in a spirit of love and giving, helping and supporting each other, bonded by a mutual guarantee. As long as there is a tendency for connection, the place flourishes, and it becomes ruined when it disappears.

During the exile, customs and tradition defined the way of life in Jewish communities. This made it easier to maintain connection among Jews in the diaspora, and to conduct commerce and business abundantly.

There is an important point to recognize here: The strength that the Jews previously had in spiritual life, namely the ability to connect out of love and bestowal with others, did indeed disappear in the ruin, but it left within them extraordinary physical connection abilities.

This is the root of why we saw Jews excelling in various directions of development: in wisdom, culture, science, medicine, economy, and business. Almost everywhere that it was necessary to create connections in order to reach outstanding achievements, one could find a Jew organizing everything behind the scenes.

Beyond that, it is known that the study of the Gemara makes a person wise, sharpens the mind, crosses between two opposite lines, right and left, and seeks what balances them. It should also be remembered that unlike any other people, throughout the generations there was never a child in Israel who did not know how to read and write. They learned from the Torah about the system of nature, about the still, vegetative, and animate levels of nature, how one should relate to others, to society, and to the environment.

In addition, the fact that Jews lived as a minority among other nations made survival their main concern among people who hated them. Money became a tool for buying their peace, with which they covered problems that sometimes surfaced. Country leaders needed money, and the Jews were a source that fed them. In addition, Jews were drawn to valuables that could easily be hidden, such as gold and diamonds, which they could take with them if they needed to flee. They invested in science, wisdom, and acquired professions in fields of finance and medicine out of an understanding that such expertise would ensure their livelihood anywhere in the world.

Therefore, in the genes of the Jewish people lies a potential ability to make connections, and from here emerges their special success in the fields of business and finance. Incidentally, in recent decades this is less and less evident, and Jews are approaching a level of success similar to that of other nations. Be that as it may, in the world’s consciousness, a connection between Jews and the economy is etched. During an economic crisis, for instance, there is a certain gut feeling that always emerges that the Jews cooked up something bad.

Such antisemitism will not stop unless we ourselves uproot its root. What does this mean? It means that the process Abraham began, the tendency to connect everyone, today needs to emerge for the sake of humanity's unity. Why? It is because our world is rapidly becoming more and more interconnected and interdependent, so without learning to function as one body, we simply will not survive.

We were brought back to the Land of Israel in order to establish a model society that would once again implement the method of connection of our ancestors and show an example of how people from all ends of the earth succeed in rising above their differences and connecting out of a tendency to love, give, and positively bond. As long as we do not accept upon ourselves this universal mission, we will have no revival, peace, or serenity in the Land of Israel. Our economic successes will become swallowed in endless security expenses, and the world's hatred toward us will increase from one day to the next.

In the end, we will reach the understanding that only the research and development of connection, the power of unity, the spiritual force that originally made us a nation, will bring us peace. The moment we begin to generate it among ourselves, rising to connection above the egoistic forces dwelling within each and every one of us, humanity will feel that a positive force flows from Israel. Those who hate us will calm down and will invert their hatred into a desire to draw close to us, and we will begin to do the business for which we were created: spiritual business, connections between the desires of different people. We are the glue, the connecting channels, those who can circulate the force of life in the system of nature that binds humanity together as a single organism.

Based on "New Life 71 - Money and the Jewish Mind, Part 1" with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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New Life 71 – Money and the Jewish Mind, Part 1

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