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THOU SHALL PROSPER
Ten Commandments
for
Making Money
Second Edition
Rabbi Daniel Lapin
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Copyright © 2010 by Rabbi Daniel Lapin. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
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except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either
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ISBN 978-0-470-48588-0
Printed in the United States of America.
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Contents
Foreword by Dave Ramsey v
Introduction to the New Edition 1
The First Commandment
Believe in the Dignity and Morality of Business 19
The Second Commandment
Extend the Network of Your Connectedness to Many People 57
The Third Commandment
Get to Know Yourself 91
The Fourth Commandment
Do Not Pursue Perfection 129
The Fifth Commandment
Lead Consistently and Constantly 171
The Sixth Commandment
Constantly Change the Changeable, While
Steadfastly Clinging to the Unchangeable 205
The Seventh Commandment
Learn to Foretell the Future 239
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(cid:129) iv (cid:129) CONTENTS
The Eighth Commandment
Know Your Money 269
The Ninth Commandment
Act Rich: Give Away 10 Percent of Your After-Tax Income 297
The Tenth Commandment
Never Retire 319
Epilogue 341
Notes 345
Index 354
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Foreword
I didn ’t grow up as a rich kid, but I did grow up as a business kid. My father
had this fantastic entrepreneurial attitude, and he taught me about goal set-
ting, hard work, and focused intensity. I remember going up to him one
summer when I was 12 and saying, “ D ad, I need some money.”
He replied, “ You ’ re 12 years old. You don ’ t need money, what you need
is a job! ”
S o, I got to learn about cutting grass that summer. More than that, I
learned about setting goals, marketing, and determination. I printed up
business cards and built up quite the little enterprise.
T he most important business lesson my dad taught me was that money
comes from work. Don’ t talk to me about what you deserve or what you’ r e
entitled to. No one is going to hand you anything. This has been true since
the beginning of time: You’ v e got to leave the cave, kill something, and drag
it home. Then it’ s yours.
I ’ m grateful to my dad for teaching me that lesson from an early age,
especially since it’ s an attitude I don’ t see much anymore. Thomas Edison said
it pretty well: “ Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed
in overalls and looks like work.” More and more, it seems like people want
wealth, but they don’ t want to work for it. They need a shot in the arm, a
call back to the virtue, ethics, morality, and importance of business.
A nd that, my friend, is why I love this book.
I didn ’ t know of Rabbi Lapin until a friend gave me a copy of T hou Shall
Prosper in a men’ s Bible study group a couple of years ago. I had never heard
of the book before, but I fl ipped through it and later read it in detail with
the study group. I was completely blown away. It is defi nitely one of the top
fi nancial books I have ever read — and I ’ ve read a l ot of them.
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(cid:129) vi (cid:129) FOREWORD
Lapin admits that he ’ s not a “ star of fi nance, ” and that ’ s part of the bril-
liance of the book. When you read a book written by someone like Bill Gates
or Warren Buffett, you have to recognize that these aren ’ t really “ regular
people.” Chances are you don’ t have a Bill Gates living next door to you. All
the stars have to line up to have that kind of success, and you get someone
like that once in a blue moon.
Thou Shall Prosper is about regular people. Whether you’ r e a part- t ime
coffee clerk or a big- t ime corporate CEO, Lapin shows you a whole new
mind - set about work and about money. Did you catch that? Work a nd money.
Most people never realize the two are connected!
Beyond the work – money connection, Lapin ’ s overall thesis is fascinating.
Some people may not be comfortable with it, but I think history shows
it to be true: Jewish people are unusually gifted at making and managing
money. It ’ s not a racial thing; it ’ s a cultural thing. There is something in the
cultural mind - set and national experience of the Jewish people that we need
to recognize if we want to win with money.
L apin understands that money isn’ t just physical; it’ s a s piritual reality.
It ’ s “ spiritual ” in that it isn ’ t about folded pieces of paper, and it isn ’ t about
what those little slips of paper can buy. It is about p eople and relationships .
Money is the buzz; the connection that makes our interpersonal networks
rich and fulfi lling.
In a sense, money connects two dreamers. Think about that. I person-
ally love to ski. I enjoy hitting the slopes and spending that time with my
family, and it doesn’ t bother me at all to spend money doing that particular
activity.
I imagine it is another person ’ s dream to own and operate a luxury ski
resort. He is fulfi lled and motivated by providing a great service and out-
standing accommodations to skiers. So, when I go on vacation, I hand him
my money and he hands me my keys and skis. We’ r e both excited about the
transaction, we both get what we want, and both our dreams are fulfi lled.
In that moment, it isn’ t about money. Money is just what facilitated our
relationship.
T hese days, however, business —a nd businesspeople— a re getting a bad rap.
The pursuit of wealth through a successful business is not viewed as an hon-
orable enterprise by some, and I honestly cannot understand why that is.
O ne of the things that most irritates me as a successful businessman is the
often - stated belief that wealth is a by - product of dishonesty or moral short-
comings. Some people— w hom I not so affectionately call “ losers ” — honestly
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FOREWORD (cid:129) vii (cid:129)
believe that the only way for one person to gain wealth is to lie to, cheat, or
take advantage of someone else. The idea of an honorable wealthy person is
totally foreign to many people, and that’ s just sad.
A lot of people, including many in the media, propagate what my friend
Tim Sanders calls a “ scarcity mentality. ” It ’ s like there ’ s a limited amount of
wealth in the world, and one man ’ s success directly causes another ’ s failure.
Therefore, the only way for me to get more money is to take it away from
someone else. What a crock!
But people from all walks of life buy into this nonsense, don ’ t they? I often
see this at two opposite extremes: greedy poor people and guilty rich people.
Now, I’ m not saying all poor people are greedy, and I ’m not saying all rich
people are guilty. However, our society often tries to steer us along one of
these two paths. Chances are you know people who represent both sides.
T he greedy poor people are those who have little ambition, work their
nine - to - fi ve jobs, go home and sit on the sofa, complain about how the
“ little man ” can ’ t get ahead, haven ’ t read a book since high school, and feel
like the world owes them something. It may be free health care, free college
education, free retirement, free insurance, or a total free ride. They think that
just because they work their eight - hour - a - day jobs, they ’ re doing all they can.
And if they don’ t make enough money doing it, then someone else should
step in and take care of them.
The guilty rich people are those who work like crazy people, are mentally
engaged in business, think about new and creative ways to service others,
know how to turn $1 into $100, fully fund college accounts for their kids,
read a book a month, build up a large retirement account — and then feel
guilty about it. They listen to the lies about the dishonesty and mistrust of
business, and they become ashamed of their success. They give a great deal to
good causes, not out of a sense of duty or charity, but out of some misguided
notion that their wealth has put others into poverty.
L et me be crystal clear: Both of these groups have missed the mark. There
is a dignity to wealth creation through honorable business that is unlike
anything else on earth. There is no crime in handing someone a dollar for
a job well done, and there’ s certainly no shame in accepting it for providing
the service. That ’ s why Rabbi Lapin calls every dollar you earn a “ certifi cate
of appreciation” from your customers.
You see, in business, if you don ’ t do a good job, no one will give you these
little certifi cates. And if that happens, you go out of business. So, where are
all these dishonest, misbehaving, backdoor- dealing, wealthy, dirty business-
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men? The bottom line is that if you ’ re a creep, your customers will know
it — and you won ’ t last long.
The ten commandments outlined in this book are for everybody. You
don’ t have to be Jewish. You don’ t have to be rich. You don’ t have to own a
business or aspire to become the next Michael Dell. They are simple, practical
principles for life and business. They have to do with how you view money,
how you treat people, and how you represent yourself in the marketplace.
Overall, this book isn ’ t about becoming rich; it ’ s about adding value — to
yourself, your family, and the world around you. Rabbi Lapin shows that
when you contribute to the well- b eing of other people through honorable
business and wise stewardship, you win. And it’ s not just your victory; it
impacts everyone around you. You can actually create wealth in your com-
munity, and when you do, everyone benefi ts.
— Dave Ramsey
Nashville, Tennessee
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