Kabbalists believe that if you want to make money, it’s a good idea to start by knowing what it is. So let’s review what we do know. Is money that green stuff with presidents printed on it? No. Is money a series of numbers printed by some computer on a bank statement? No. Is money a bunch of gold bars buried in a vault? No.
Money isn’t anything physical at all. Money is energy! And understanding that money is energy—that money is Light—is the basis of the kabbalistic technology of tithing.
Most religions speak of tithing and recommend it as a tool of sharing. The Bible itself states that we should give 10% of our income to charity through tithing. But why is tithing so important, and why 10%? Is tithing a necessary annoyance? An unnecessary annoyance? Or is it a tool of abundance and protection?
THE 10% SOLUTION
Kabbalah tells us that tithing 10% is built into the fabric of the universe itself. Again, it is a matter of science, not religion. Amazingly, the most cutting-edge thinkers of modern Superstring Theory and the most ancient-edge thinkers of Kabbalah both agree on the same magical number. The universe has ten dimensions—ten different energy levels.
Saying that the universe has ten dimensions is another way of saying that there are ten versions of you. One version is the you that’s here right now—the one to whom the telephone company sends its bills. And then there is all the potential you’s that become possible as you attain higher levels of fulfillment and deeper levels of prosperity. The universe is like an elevator—you can choose whichever floor you want to be on. But there’s a catch: The only way we’re allowed to get on that elevator is if we clean up our 1% existence.
The tenth level is the 1% realm, the world we live in— and according to Kabbalah, no one is either strong enough or spiritual enough to have dominion over this realm. It is here that we fall into the traps of the Competitor in that each of us has an ego as well as anger, and each of us carries within us the residue of the hurt we’ve done to others—the residue of being the effect rather than the cause. All this needs to be cleaned up.
Tithing 10% is the way to cleanse the 1% realm. Tithing cleanses the tenth dimension, and once we’ve taken care of that, we’re allowed to ride that elevator up to any dimension we choose.
IF WE DON’T GIVE, WE CAN’T GET MORE
Tithing is the ultimate paradox of the universe because it means that the more you want to get, the more you have to give. The 10% we give cleanses the remaining 90%. It’s like having ten oranges and one goes rotten; you need to get rid of the rotten one or risk spoiling all the rest. The 10% tithe erases guilt and obliterates obstacles to true prosperity.
So you’re now asking yourself: to tithe or not to tithe?
In God we trust. That’s what’s written on that nice, crisp dollar bill you’re holding, and it couldn’t be clearer. What kabbalists and your dollar bill are both trying to tell you is that security does not reside in money; instead, it resides purely in the Light. There is no security in the 1% realm, no matter how many truckloads of cash you might have. Ask the billionaire who can’t find a cure for his child’s fatal illness. Or weigh the power your checkbook holds against terrorist attacks and tsunamis.
We still think of money as security, and sometimes it seems as if no amount of evidence to the contrary can change our minds. It’s as though we’ve been backing a horse that has lost 10,000 straight races, but we’re ready to bet on him one more time—because we’re convinced that this time he’s coming in. What’s worse, if I think that money is the basis for my security, I can’t give my money away. I can’t be generous, for I don’t feel I have enough to give. John and Phyllis over there, they’re rich, we might say. They can afford to give it away. They can tithe; they can share. If I had their money, I could tithe too. But I can’t. Sorry!
Money is energy, and to get more, we have to share. Something that isn’t shared doesn’t stick around forever. But something shared gets replenished; it’s a law of the universe. If two people are in a relationship and there is no true sharing, the relationship cannot last.
If there’s anything we want to keep, we need to keep the energy flowing. Sharing must be part of it. And this holds true even of money.
So if you’re just starting out and can give only 5%, that’s okay—but remember, tithing is science. It’s as if one of the ten dimensions were being given away to protect the other nine. Through tithing, we achieve true prosperity.
And like Rav Berg, the founder of the Kabbalah Centre, said it many times: Don’t trust a word we tell you, try it for yourself and see if it works.