It was just one year ago, Oct. 26, 2010, that Joseph Stein passed away. He was the man who took a short story written by Sholom Aleichem and turned it into both the stage and screen production of Fiddler on the Roof.
“If I were a rich man…”
Ah, to be rich… How many of us haven’t wondered what it would be like? How many of us haven’t thought, if only we had money… all our problems would disappear, we could do whatever we wanted, we wouldn’t have a worry in the world?
But now, rich is not enough… you have to be mega-rich. If you’re wondering what mega-rich is, I took a very non-scientific poll.
Most people I asked came up with a number between $12 and $17 million in order to be considered mega-rich.
Many said, “What’s a million dollars these days?” Well, I can tell you this… it’s a lot more than many of us will ever have. And most said they would not feel fully secure with $2 or $3 million in the bank (or tucked inside their mattress for that matter).
I recently worked with some people that I strongly suspect are in the category of the super wealthy and, oddly enough, even though they needed care (24-hour care at that), they either felt that they could not afford it, or they simply did not want to part with their money. One, who is in his 90s, even said that he needed to save his money for his old age.
So let me ask you, how much is enough? How much money would it take to make you happy?
The other day I dealt with the children of an extremely wealthy woman. She had died and they were fighting over the estate. It seems their mother had the nerve to divide everything equally between them. But each wanted more; each wanted a greater share.
The children were so busy fighting with one another that I took it upon myself to call the Private Duty Aide and thank her for the way she had cared for the deceased so angelically in her final years on this Earth.
She thanked me for the call and, before I hung up, she said, “Rabbi, did you hear what she did?” I asked what, and she told me, “Rabbi, I can’t believe it, she left me a lot of money. Rabbi, I never expected it and I have never had so much money at one time in my entire life.”
I can assure you that to the children it is not a big amount (if it were, I suspect they would contact a lawyer)… but while they are busy fighting over their inheritance and filled with hate, anger, and jealousy… the Aide is praising the memory of the woman she took care of and thanking G-d for granting her such wealth.
“Who is really rich? The one who is satisfied with their share.” (Sayings of our Fathers, 6:9).
Shalom My Friends,
Rabbi Craig H. Ezring
Rabbi Ezring is a Hospice Chaplain and Member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains. He also provides Professional Pastoral Care Services to a number of health centers in Broward County.
