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Vayimaen - Money, Money, Money | Rabbi Fischel Schachter

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Short Summary

Main recommendation: Trust Hashem and guard your eyes (Shemiras Einayim) so that you can have שמחת החיים (joy in life), rather than being consumed by worry about money. The speaker, who felt about $10,000–15,000 short ahead of a daughter's wedding, argues that happiness depends on inner trust and simcha, not on how much money you have.

Key Points

  • The speaker, three weeks from a daughter's wedding and by his calculation $10,000–15,000 behind, admits he spent the whole of Rosh Hashanah thinking only about money.
  • He recounts a bank letter saying it owed him a compensation check of unknown amount; He celebrated, but the compensation check turned out to be for one penny, which the speaker uses as a humorous story about his own expectations.
  • The speaker frames the lesson as trusting Hashem even when the outcome is not visible in front of you.
  • According to the speaker, citing the Sefarim HaKedoshim, careful control of what the eyes see (ויראו עינינו) leads to happiness (וישמח לבנו).
  • He cites Rav Don Segal's observation that daily guarding of the eyes in Shemoneh Esrei brings a glimpse of peace (מנוחת הנפש) and joy, and cites the Bobover Rav (Kedushas Tzion) that Hashem's salvation can come in the blink of an eye.

Details Worth Noting

  • Concrete instructions: The speaker gives no step-by-step financial or practical method. The actionable guidance is spiritual: when you are tempted to dwell on money, deliberately close your eyes or refocus, asking Hashem to keep the rest for you and give it when needed; in prayer, ask for Shemiras Einayim (guarding the eyes); treat each small moment of looking away as a test you can pass, without needing to be perfect.
  • The speaker says the Sefarim HaKedoshim tie joy in life directly to Shemiras Einayim, so he treats eye-guarding as a practical path to peace.
  • He notes that the Shemiras Einayim request is made in Shemoneh Esrei, the central prayer, and that Rosh Hashanah is a time when people debate whether to pray for money (he says some say on the second day but not the first).
  • The penny-check anecdote is presented as humorous and personal; the speaker's wife reminds him that Hashem heard him the first time and that he needs money.
  • The talk is a personal reflection and religious teaching, not financial advice.

Bottom Line

Joy depends on what you choose to focus on, and the speaker argues that trusting Hashem and guarding your gaze lets you feel that the amount of money you have matters less than the simcha in your heart.