How to Build Eternal Wealth

What does it really mean to be wealthy?

In today’s episode, Yael Eckstein explores the biblical story of Korah, a man so wealthy that he got a false sense of importance and began a rebellion against Moses—and against God Himself. Do you know what happened next? Let’s just say it didn’t end well for Korah.

While most of us know that money is finite, and not eternal, it’s easy to lose sight of this during everyday life. But, as Yael shares, if we count our good deeds instead of our money, we’ll discover how truly wealthy we all are in God’s eyes! Listen now!

And listen to more of Yael’s teachings from the Bible on her daily podcast, The Chosen People.

Episode Notes:

In today’s episode, Yael focuses on Numbers 16:28-33, which tells what happened after Moses warned the Israelites to distance themselves from Korah:

Then Moses said, ‘This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.’ As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.

Korah is said to have been one of the wealthiest people to ever live. But the Jewish sages also taught that Korah’s wealth is what led to his downfall.

In this insightful episode, we’ll learn what it means to be wealthy in the spiritual sense. Yes, material wealth can last a lifetime, but our good deeds and character last even longer—they last for eternity.

Yael shares how this definition of wealth brought her peace when she lost her father, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. She explains how she was comforted by knowing that her father was accompanied by the good deeds he did in his lifetime. And we can find this comfort, too, in our daily lives by not worrying about material possessions, but instead counting our acts of kindness, which will not only last forever, but will bring us true joy, peace, and fulfillment.