Rabbi's Blog

By the time you read this, the largest Powerball jackpot will either have been won or become bigger. The largest lottery winning has created a buzz and a stir from coast to coast. The questions people are asking each other is not “Did you buy a ticket?” but rather “How many tickets did you buy?” I am sure you are wondering if I, the Rabbi, bought a ticket, but that is strictly personal.  I will let you know, however, if I win. Within the Jewish world the discussion is whether or not according to the Torah we are permitted to participate in such an activity. The simple answer is yes, but the lessons to glean from this madness may be worth more than the jackpot, and for sure far more valuable than the two dollars it costs to buy a ticket.

Some of the ideas I had with regard to the Powerball jackpot were eloquently encapsulated by Rabbi Efram Goldberg and then blogged, and sent out by many organizations, ultimately landing on the Aish.com website. I strongly encourage everyone to read the beautiful perspective of dreams and priorities that Rabbi Goldberg so beautifully combines.  Nevertheless, I still wanted to write about such a ‘hot’ topic and tried to find another niche to discuss. Ultimately, we need to believe and remind ourselves that everything comes from Hashem. True, we must do our Hishtadlus  - work as diligently as we can to earn a living, make a concerted effort. The question is how do we come up with adequate explanations focused at convincing Hashem that we really need to win.

I recently came across a cute story about a lottery that contained a tremendous lesson that I believe speaks to all of us. Rabbi Nota Schiller, shlita, tells of a man who bought a lottery ticket weekly, and each week he promised Hashem that if he ever won, he would give a large sum to Tzedaka. Week after week he lost. Then, one week a rumor spread that the man had gone to a house of idol worship -- and that week he won the lottery! That Shabbat, he came back to shul, and asked to speak before the congregation.  He recited the prayer of Ein Kelokeinu (there is none like our G-d). He "clopped" on the Bima and proclaimed, "There is none like 'our' G-d. For years I've been promising Hashem that if I win the lottery I will give a large sum to Tzedaka, and He was never fooled. But that 'Getchke' (idol)! The first week I make my promise and he goes for it!"

Do we think we can fool God? Do we believe this is all in our hands? Do we give ourselves the credit if we win and the blame G-d if we lose? Is the outcome really in our control?  People who play Powerball regularly know that the lottery begins at forty million dollars every week. Are those who buy a ticket and play for the first time do so because the winnings are so great? Apparently not. Is it because we wouldn’t be satisfied with winning a mere $40 million dollars? By now, players should know that there are other prize moneys  awarded for other combinations of winning numbers. Let us not be fooled by thinking that we play only to win the biggest prize. If Hashem decides to give us a lesser prize, we need to be satisfied with whatever we get - even winning a five dollar prize that will pay for our next ticket.

The hidden treasure of the lottery can be learned from the position the Jewish people find themselves in contrast to the other nations of the world. The Navi Yirmiyahu has a follow-up to the story of Parshas Bo in the continuing destruction of Egypt.

In this week’s Haftorah, Yirmiyahu in 46:22 says: “Kolah KaNachash Yeilech, Ki B’Chayil Yeilchu U’V’Kardumos Ba’oo Lah, K’Chotvei Eitzim”. “[Egypt] sounds like a snake. For [the Babylonians] will come with force and attack her with axes, like people hewing wood”. Egypt is compared to a snake whose slithering can hardly be heard. By contrast, in the past she was noisy and boisterous. The Zohar says that when the Jewish people are in Galus/exile they are compared to a snake:  the head is bent into the earth/ground and the tail rules above. In either case the tale smacks anything in its path and destroys it. When we think about the the tail we realize that what is actually controlling its movement is the head, even though it’s buried in the ground. The head leads the movement of the tail; the head tells the tail where and how to move even though it is out of sight. This is the understanding of why it says it is the sound of the snake that causes it to move and go. Since the sound comes from the head. it is the head which is in control of its movement, protecting it from its enemies. At the end of the day there is still an Egypt but there is  no longer a Babylonian empire. (It is understood that the Egypt of today is not the same Egypt of yesteryear).

We cannot act like the snake, burying our heads in the ground, believing that all we do is solely in our hands, believing  that we control what goes on outside just by a mere wagging of the tail. Playing the  lottery should cause us to have more trust in Hashem. Even if we don’t win the big money, maybe we’re supposed to win the smaller prize. If we don’t win the smaller prize, perhaps we shouldn’t win at all. The Egyptians thought they were always in control and disregarded God as a factor in the outcome of their history. While this does not apply to all of those who have oppressed us, it does apply to many. We the Jewish people are charged with taking the leading role with regard to attributing everything to Hashem. Unlike the snake who uses the tongue to convince, lie and trick, we must look at what is best for us personally and what is best for us as a people. So the next time you buy a lottery ticket with the hopes of winning, Hashem needs to be factored into the equation.  Ultimately, G-d is in control of everything, even the seemingly randomness of buying a winning lottery ticket.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky