The Geography of Greed

by Rabbi Benjamin Blech
According to the Bible, God has a special affinity for the land of Israel. For centuries, it has been referred to it as "the Holy Land." In Jewish tradition, the land is linked to God even by its geography, which offers us spiritual lessons applicable to our own lives.
In the north of Israel, there is a sparkling river. The Jordan is the source of much-needed water in an arid climate. Fish abound there and serve as a delectable food supply. It is beautiful to behold and commonly acknowledged as a source of life.
That very same river flows south into another sea. From these waters, neither man nor beast will drink. It is foul smelling and forbidding.
What could possibly account for the difference between these two waters? The Sea of Galilee receives the waters of the Jordan but does not greedily retain them. For every drop that it gets, it gives another. The sea into which it flows, however, has a different mode of behavior. Every drop that it gets, it keeps. So while the Sea of Galilee generously gives and lives, its terminus that only knows how to hold on to what it has is called the Dead Sea.
The seas of Israel serve as symbols of people. Those who give, live. "Ninety percent of all mental illness that comes before me could have been prevented, or cured, by ordinary kindness," claims National University Professor Dr. William McGrath. As Eric Fromm, the famous psychiatrist, put it, "Not he who has much is rich, but he who gives much."
Ironic, isn't it, that after all is said and done, it is the greedy who are really needy!
An excerpt from "Taking Stock: A Spiritual Guide to Rising Above Life's Financial Ups and Downs."
by Rabbi Benjamin Blech