There is nothing wrong with wealth per se, as long as we take the necessary steps to ensure that we retain the proper perspective. We should answer the challenge of wealth by striving all the more to refine our human-animal natures, taking care not to indulge in excess mundane gratification – material or cultural. We can then refine the world, as well, by shining the light of the Torah outward,1 using the blessings of wealth for their intended purposes: to support and further the study of the Torah and the dissemination of Judaism.2
If we encounter someone who has “gotten fat and kicked,” we should not give up hope, since even the most disinterested Jew remains a Jew at heart, and the light of truth will penetrate even the hardest barrier.3
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