Who Do You Trust?
ืฉืืืช ืจืื ื ื:ื
ืืืื ืคืงืืื ืืืฉืื ืื ืคืชื ืจืณ ืชื ืืืื ืืจ ืืื (ืืฉืื ืื) ืืืฉ ืืืื ืืช ืจื ืืจืืืช ืืชื ืืืฆื ืื ืื ืฉืืื ื ืืื ืืงืืดื ืืืื ืืจืืืช ืขื ืืืื ืื ืฉืืื ื ื ืืื ืืืฅ ืืืขืฉืืจ ืื ืื ืงื
ืืืจ ืืืจ ืืืฉ ืืืื ืืช ืื ืืฉื ืฉื ืขืฉื ืืืืจ ืขื ืืืืืช ืืืฉืื ืฉื ื ืจืืืชืื ื ืืื ืืื ืื ืฉืจืจื ืขื ืืฆืืืจ ืืืืื ืคืืืช ืืฉื ืื ืืืจื ืืชื ืืืฆื ืฉืืื ืืฉื ืืืืจ ืืขืฆืื ืืืื ืืชื ืืืืจ ืืื ืืื ืื ืคืืืช ืืืณ ืืื ืืขืดืค ืฉืืื ืืฉื ืืืืจ ืืขืฆืื ืืื ืงืืจื ืืืืจืื ืืืืฉื ืขื ืืืืื ืฉื ืืืจ (ืฉืืืช ืื) ืืื ืคืงืืื ืืืฉืื ืืฉืจ ืคืงื ืืฉื ืืื ืืชืื ืืื ืืื ืืฉืจ ืคืงื ืขืดืค ืืฉื ืขืดื ืืฉื ืืื ืืืชืืจ
Exodus Rabbah 51:1
“These are the [inventory] accounts of the Tabernacle, [ . . . which were rendered at Moses’ biddingโthe work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the Priest.”] (Exod. 38:21) R. Tanhuma b. Abba opened [his interpretation of this verse by quoting]: “‘A dependable man will receive many blessings, but one hurrying to get rich will not go unpunished.’ (Prov. 28:20). You will find that the Blessed Holy One brings blessings to anyone who is trustworthy, yet any that are not trustworthy but ‘hurrying to get rich will not go unpunished.’”
. . . Another explanation: “A dependable man”โthis [refers to] Moses, who was made the treasurer over the construction of the Tabernacle. Our Rabbis [also] taught: “We do not appoint fewer than two people with control over public finances.” But behold that you find that Moses alone was treasurer, while here you say that “we do not appoint fewer than two” [with this authority]? Instead, [we understand that,] even though Moses alone was treasurer, he called upon others to audit [the accounts] on their own, for it says, “These are the accounts of the Tabernacle . . . which were rendered at Moses’ bidding . . .” It does not say “which Moses rendered” but “which were rendered at Moses’ bidding,” namely, for Moses but “under the direction of Ithamar . . . “
While I always read the Torah and its rabbinic interpretations in search of contemporary relevance, I rarely find texts that seem to mirror my own life history so closely. The two parts of the midrash above reflect in many ways the lessons I have learned from my father’s first and second careers: as a litigator for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and then as a personal financial planner. His work experiences have taught me a great deal about what it means to be “trustworthy” as opposed to “hurrying to get rich.”
At the IRS, my father would represent the government against wealthy individuals and corporations who had underpaid or cheated on their tax returns. One of his last trials involved a prominent Jewish family known for their business success and their philanthropic generosity. While publicly presenting themselves as “trustworthy,” a tax audit revealed that this family privately withheld earnings from their estate and thereby contributed less than they were obligated to put into the public coffers.
While that family “did not go unpunished,” a similar outcome has unfortunately eluded those who bent or broke the rules and created the recent financial crisis of the “Great Recession.” Many of my father’s clients, like almost all modest American investors planning for their own retirement, lost much of their portfolios’ worth. Few of them had even invested directly in the most problematic sectors of the stock market, like derivatives and credit default swaps, vehicles created by those “hurrying to get rich.” Will those who perpetrated this crisis “go unpunished” much longer?
While I await justice, my father, “a dependable man,” continues to lead by example, focusing on his own business ethics and on restoring his clients to financial stability.
