Furnishing the Soul
A man once asked me to bless him with success for himself, his wife, and their sixteen children. As we spoke, he mentioned that his family lived in a three-room apartment.
“How do you have enough room for such a large family in such small quarters?” I asked, in awe.
“Honored Rav, instead of fitting my house with furniture, I stock it up with more people!”
Nowadays, regrettably, many people refuse to give up on the latest contemporary furnishings. They will spend fortunes on breakfronts and various expensive items. Their homes become filled with different gadgets, and they have no room for children.
This Jew understood that there is really no need for all the outer trappings. He satisfied himself with plain chairs and simple beds. Instead of investing in physical furniture, he invested in a stock which yields the greatest dividends. This was the development and education of his children to a life of Torah and yirat Shamayim.
This is the proper perspective to adopt in this world. One should invest all of his efforts in Avodat Hashem. There is no limit to how much effort one should invest in this endeavor. But regarding materialism: the less, the better.
