After a field and a home in the Rambam’s order comes a wife. Being a good husband is conducive to wealth, according to the Talmud:
Rabbi Chelbo says: A person should always be careful with the honor of his wife, for blessing is only found in a person’s house by virtue of his wife, as it is written, “And Avram was benefited for her sake.”[1]
Bava Metzia 59a
Marriage is all about two people growing together. Disappointments such as may occasionally arise may actually further one’s individual growth, whereas magnifying those irritations by confrontations and divorce puts that growth and development into reverse.
In that light, one can see married life and wealth as parallel tracks of growth. The Talmud[2] also draws a parallel through an allegorical interpretation of a proverb:[3] “All the days of the poor are bad” hints at a husband who has a bad wife. “But the constant feaster is of good cheer” hints at a husband who has a good wife.
Financial planning professionals are fond of telling their clients, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” We can see from all of the foregoing that with the Torah’s guidance we needn’t grope in the dark as we set about ordering our financial lives.
Next week we look at work as the determining factor of the household balance sheet.
[1] Bereishit 12:16.
[2] Sanhedrin 100b.
[3] Mishlei 15:15.