Lottery Mania

Lottery mania has gripped the country again — $1.7 billion! It’s fun to dream: What would you do with such wealth? But these dreams reveal something deeper: do I view money as a means to satisfy my own desires, or as a tool to improve the world?

This week’s parsha teaches the mitzvah of hashavas aveidah — returning lost property. Remarkably, the very first chapter of the Talmud that children traditionally learn is about this mitzvah. Why? To instill from the start that our first responsibility is not to ourselves, but to others. The world often speaks in terms of “my rights.” The Torah speaks in terms of “my duties.” Amazingly, study after study reveals that our initial thought on this subject is wrong; people who think in terms of duty are happier than those who think in terms of rights.

The Torah’s vision of wealth is not about accumulation but about responsibility. I use my wealth to take care of myself so that I can serve better. If I find something that isn’t mine, I must safeguard it and return it. If I have more than I need, perhaps it isn’t truly mine at all — it’s meant for someone whose life it will change.

So, as we dream about winning the lottery, maybe the question isn’t “What would I acquire for myself? But rather, “What difference would I make in the world?”