Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Great [Debt] Mabul


The great flood in the time of Noah began on 17 Heshvan.  

I know it's raining in Israel, and I know it's raining here.

But the bigger worry that is affecting the world is the financial flood: it's raining debt.  Why should we not care?   I borrowed this comment by Klishlishi from Money: It's a Crime :

The lesson of The Flood has shown that Hashem will not allow the pleasures of material existence to reach orgiastic proportions, and thwart mankind's raison d'etre by overwhelming the spiritual. Investment falls, company and bank crashes, pension fund scams, share price slumps, land value slides, mass unemployment, recessions and depressions are all examples of these checks and corrections.

"Before those days come, there will be no wages, not for man nor beast; I will set every man against his neighbour" [Zechariah 8]

"Before the Messiah, human wages will not exist" [Chofetz Chayim].

"There is no clearer sign of the coming of Moshiach than when all prices become equal" [Sanhedrin 98].

"Before the Moshiach, poverty will increase, prices will rise; even though the vine will produce its fruit, the wine will still be expensive" [Sotah 49].

"The Moshiach will not come until the Jewish People have been cured of their obsessional love for money!" [Rav Rafael Eisenberg, 1976].

"It will become harder to provide a man with his livelihood than to bring the Redemption" [Pesachim 118]

"There are certain sins for which the only atonement is to be in debt. When these sins multiply, then everyone falls into debt" [R.Nachman of Breslov].

"Three types of individual will not be required to see even the entrance to Gehennom: he who was pursued by his creditors..." [Eruvin 41]

4 comments:

Leah said...

How timely a piece for a current issue. I was just speaking with a neighbor/friend and she and I are both in the generational pickle called finances and jobs etc...My other friend whom I speak with are also in this situaion.
We all talk about how we have resorted to measures of only getting what is absolutely necessary at the grocery store- skip the paper towels and counter cleaners. Use a junky towel and soap and water. No ac/heat. Keep the lights out unless it's needed. I am readjusting some clothing to give it a new look. Shop at consignement stores and Goodwill- skip any expensive stores.
I went to the store and noticed that tuna fish went up about .30 cents. Usually it goes up .5 cents per increment. So many items liek you are saying are available and over abundant yet expensive. We are not talking about rubies and diamonds. We're talking food!
Cheshbonos before Moshiach.

Devorah said...

In Australia, the price of electricity has tripled in the past 12 months. So many people cannot pay their power bills, air/con is a luxury that people have installed but can no longer use.
Electric lights.... only when necessary, otherwise the only things that are always turned on are the fridge and the computer !

michael said...

all because the global warming taxes, that stinks... even though Australia is rich in coal.

Leah said...

I hear you. Cheshbonos. Rectification of the sould and the world. Even though we don't have things like the past two generations did with both WW's it still is time to cut back....