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Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money
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Praise for THOU SHALL PROSPER
"Rabbi Daniel Lapin's wisdom has helped untold numbers of people, including me, grow in our business, family, and spiritual lives. In Thou Shall Prosper, Rabbi Lapin has done it again. This book tells it like it is in a helpful, honest, hopeful, informative way. He offers valid, useful information based on ancient wisdom and modern experience. ...more
"Rabbi Daniel Lapin's wisdom has helped untold numbers of people, including me, grow in our business, family, and spiritual lives. In Thou Shall Prosper, Rabbi Lapin has done it again. This book tells it like it is in a helpful, honest, hopeful, informative way. He offers valid, useful information based on ancient wisdom and modern experience. ...more
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Paperback, 362 pages
Published
July 15th 2008
by John Wiley & Sons
(first published 2002)
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Start your review of Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money
In the spirit of the 8th habit review I posted in 2009, I am posting a super-thorough review of TSP piecemeal, as I am almost sure it will be too long to post in its entirety. Here is my synopsis of the first chapter:
The First Commandment: Believe in the Dignity and Morality of Business
“Making money is much harder to do if, deep down, you suspect it to be a morally reprehensible activity” (17).
The idea that making money is an inherently noble act is a definitive characteristic of Judaism and one ...more
The First Commandment: Believe in the Dignity and Morality of Business
“Making money is much harder to do if, deep down, you suspect it to be a morally reprehensible activity” (17).
The idea that making money is an inherently noble act is a definitive characteristic of Judaism and one ...more
Thou Shall Prosper came highly recommended by a friend. It was a huge disappointment. None of the advice in the book is wrong; it's just anodyne. Does anyone really need to be told that networking is good for business? Or that business, morally and properly conducted, is good for the world? Lapin's perspective as a Rabbi, is certainly interesting -- the best parts of the book are to be found in his stories about people he has known -- but the advice is nothing new. If you're incredibly neurotic
...more
I heard about this on Dave Ramsey's national radio program when he interviewed Daniel Lapin. An amazing book that addresses some of our culture's misconceptions about finances and business. This isn't a book about getting rich, it's a book about how we think about money and doing business. The author provides a rich historical background on how perceptions of money and finances have developed over the centuries.
Daniel Lapin's writing is not dry and boring. On the contrary, this book, while appea ...more
Daniel Lapin's writing is not dry and boring. On the contrary, this book, while appea ...more
Even though the title dissuaded me from reading the book, I was intrigued based on hearing Dave Ramsey talk about it on his radio show. I actually liked the the first couple of chapters quite a bit, and they helped me shift my thinking about money in a positive way. However, I kind of slogged through the middle chapters. I think it could have been written more concisely, but in general would recommend it and would otherwise have given it four stars.
The chapter about why you should give money awa ...more
The chapter about why you should give money awa ...more
Rabbi Lapin was born into a prestigious Torah family and a Jewish scholar. At one point, he was appointed as a counselor to President Bush. In this book, he talks about money matters from the perspective of Torah! There are three key words in order to be successful 1) Learn 2) Understand and 3) Practice. In order to improve myself, I must put effort and invest in myself. A 75 years old Harvard study reveals the most important factor in human happiness is the relationship, mainly from close famil ...more
Rabbi Daniel Lapin has written a book that I believe should be read by anyone who is in business, which means just about everyone! He tackles misconceptions such as it's okay to cold call people asking for donations to charity but to try and sell something door to door is much different. He explains if you believe in your product you should take the same pride in it if you are selling or soliciting for charity!
Lapin challenges ten ideas that many people seem to hold. Such as money is bad. Money ...more
Lapin challenges ten ideas that many people seem to hold. Such as money is bad. Money ...more
Clearly written and very interesting. Rabbi Lapin applies 10 spiritual principles to being prosperous. Although his overt purpose is to enhance one's business acumen, the principles apply to our personal life as well. His chapters on giving money to charity, never retiring, and believing in the dignity of business made me think about those topics in new ways and appreciate them even more. These principles apply to anyone who wants to live a moral life. You don't need to be Jewish to appreciate i
...more
Jun 06, 2008
Natalya
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Natalya by:
Dave Ramsey
One of the best books I have ever read. I would even put it in my number one spot, next to the bible. I would recommend this book to any one. It will change your concept of work business and money, something that our society sorely needs.
What an amazing book! I wish I had read this years ago, and that all my friends could read it now! The book basically sets out to describe the principles and habits which make Jewish people so good at business, and it does a mighty fine job. As a Christian, many of the lessons sounded familiar, and yet I found the approach totally refreshing. Whereas I had been conditioned to think of business and the whole area of making money as somewhat distasteful, Rabbi Daniel Lapin explains that it is an e
...more
I really liked this book. Rabbi Lapin does an excellent job pointing out common misconceptions that people have about business and money. A little preachy at times, but the man is a Rabbi.
Favorite quotations from the book:
“Take out a dollar bill and look at it. Now pat yourself on your back because you are looking at a certificate of performance.”
“There’s no such thing as an entitlement because no one is entitled to anything. If you plan to live off of the generosity of your neighbors, it would ...more
Favorite quotations from the book:
“Take out a dollar bill and look at it. Now pat yourself on your back because you are looking at a certificate of performance.”
“There’s no such thing as an entitlement because no one is entitled to anything. If you plan to live off of the generosity of your neighbors, it would ...more
Apr 21, 2011
Trevor Acy
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Trevor by:
Dave Ramsey
Do not let the subtitle fool you, how to make money is a secondary purpose of this book. Actually Rabbi Lapin describes how if 'making money' is secondary to your purpose then wealth will occur more so than if it is your main objective. Written from the Jewish perspective on life and business, Thou Shall Prosper has taught me a great deal more than simply making money. The chapters on leadership and charity giving are extraordinary and uplifting in particular. The explanation of Hebrew texts exp
...more
Very good book. Rabbi Daniel Lapin effectively shares solid principles for building wealth through serving others. The book reading was very slow because of the type and content. Therefore, I ordered the audiobook and listened to the 17 hours of content.
The content was good, but he elaborated much on some topics and I lost track of the initial purpose or chapter name.
Here are just some of the principles I learned from the book:
- Business is about serving others well
- Getting paid for a job m ...more
The content was good, but he elaborated much on some topics and I lost track of the initial purpose or chapter name.
Here are just some of the principles I learned from the book:
- Business is about serving others well
- Getting paid for a job m ...more
Firstly if you are not of a Judeo-Christian world view then this book will be very difficult for you to read. However it is simply the best book in its class that i have ever read. I have always struggled with a desire for wealth, and have run my own business for almost a decade. I struggle even more with the jarring reality that i am indeed creating wealth and not exploiting others. This book lays it out concisely and clearly, something which no other book i have read on the topic to date has e
...more
I would recommend this book to anyone! The concepts in the book might be old and well-known to the Jewish people, but I think there are secret gems of wisdom for non-Jews. I found a few of the concepts revolutionary to my way of thinking in everyday life. For example, I now look at other people's wealth as a measurement of how much they have blessed other people. It's a beautiful and moral way of viewing money. I love Rabbi Lapin and now consider him my rabbi.
...more
"...most people who learn how to make money inevitably learn how to improve their relationships with others." ~ Daniel Lapin, Thou Shall Prosper, p. 91
Daniel Lapin is a rabbi who shares insights into why Jews seem to prosper in proportionately to other races. He explains the myths and his insight into why this phenomenon exists and the 10 commandments for making money found in ancient wisdom. ...more
Daniel Lapin is a rabbi who shares insights into why Jews seem to prosper in proportionately to other races. He explains the myths and his insight into why this phenomenon exists and the 10 commandments for making money found in ancient wisdom. ...more
This had some very good pearls of wisdom and helped me shift some of my paradigms a bit (for example, away from thinking of business as evil). It was a bit dry, however, and probably would have stayed on my currently-reading list for a long time had it not had holds on it at the library. It also gave me information that piqued my curiosity of the Jewish people in general, so a plus there.
This book covers ten commandments that all business entrepreneurs should know of if they are to succeed in business.
Feb 10, 2018
Jeremy Byemanzi
added it
Very helpful book with simple principles to practice. I found the book a little repetitive though.
Though twice as long as it needs to be, this book is packed with great arguments and examples of how Capitalism is good for the economy, society, and the individual. Lapin argues, I believe successfully, that economies grow when people are allowed to do what they do best for other people who need/want the product/service being provided. Society benefits because a business transaction requires cooperation, as opposed to Socialism which requires coercion. This cooperation spills over outside of th
...more
DNF. I read about halfway through this book. I was in Hobby Lobby shopping for stickers and, as is usual for me, I started talking to the other customers who were in the same aisle. A man recommended this book, saying that he had always thought of money as the root of all evil but he had read this book and now felt otherwise. I think a lot of people think of money as evil and it is not, so I was interested to read this book. I have to say that the beginning of the book is very interesting and ex
...more
Are you ready for thorough explanation of God’s will for your finances? Rabbi Daniel Lapin will take you through the ten commandments for making money. He guides you to believe in the dignity and morality of business, to extend your network, to lead, to know your money and to act rich. One of the biggest mind shifts for me was his last commandment of “Never Retire.” This really is making me think about how we always have a calling to serve others and that one measure of our impact on others, tha
...more
Really good book about the nature of business, and how it's been intertwined with Judaism since the beginning of time. The author, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, is an excellent writer who frequently includes tales of the Bible to teach his readers about business. Often felt like he was talking to me in person because of the many anecdotes and stories used throughout each Commandment. There's also just as much research into modern business, with plenty of excellent references. Minus one star for grammatica
...more
I enjoyed this book. Many of the concepts shared are good, common sense, back-to-basics, solid, ethical, moral ways to live your life and conduct business, which I agree with. I'm not Jewish but found the explanations and references to how the Jewish religion teaches about business and the handling of money to be interesting. If you're looking to lay the foundation or validate core principles regarding money such as, do good work, care about others, be fair, honest and kind in your dealings in b
...more
This book is PACKED with truths that will affect every area of your life, not just in regard to making money, though that is the overarching theme. I would definitely set aside to listen to this audio book again.
To be fair, it took me two tries to start the book because the first hour or two didn't grab me, but once I got further into the book, I couldn't stop reading! Almost daily I would mention to a coworker, "This reminds me of something I read in Thou Shall Prosper...." This book made me r ...more
To be fair, it took me two tries to start the book because the first hour or two didn't grab me, but once I got further into the book, I couldn't stop reading! Almost daily I would mention to a coworker, "This reminds me of something I read in Thou Shall Prosper...." This book made me r ...more
It's a book with great concepts that one shall not forget.
So, why the 3 stars review?
It was a book where I did not learn anything new. There is no problem with that too. Repetition is the mother of skill. However, from the great reviews I have read, and the recommendations, I guess I set some expectations for the book and it didn't deliver in that aspect.
But that comes from someone who has read MANY books on the topic, that's why.
In the end, it's not about reading more, it's about practicing wh ...more
So, why the 3 stars review?
It was a book where I did not learn anything new. There is no problem with that too. Repetition is the mother of skill. However, from the great reviews I have read, and the recommendations, I guess I set some expectations for the book and it didn't deliver in that aspect.
But that comes from someone who has read MANY books on the topic, that's why.
In the end, it's not about reading more, it's about practicing wh ...more
Interesting. I found myself not agreeing with all points but Rabbi Lapin has some great points that made me think. One is that making money (profit) can be a spiritual exercise. It reminded me of the parable of the talents that Jesus told in Matthew 25, in which he commended the two stewards who doubled the talents given to them and the one who made the most profit was given the talents of the one who didn't even invest them. So, profit is not evil, which I think is a subtle belief we can someti
...more
I'm so happy I discovered this book (through a friends recommendation) early in my entrepreneurial journey. When I started reading this book I had left my traditional W2 job about 2 months prior, and although I felt I was doing fine, I feel like I needed adopt and expose myself to the topics concerning the entrepreneurial and business mindset.
For me this really shattered all self-doubt and beliefs about business that I had and taught me so several new principles and mental models that I'm going ...more
For me this really shattered all self-doubt and beliefs about business that I had and taught me so several new principles and mental models that I'm going ...more
Turns out that the best way to make money is not to focus on the money you want, but on the work you can do and want to do to provide value to others. This is the lesson from ancient Jewish wisdom and it has been a guiding principle for me in my own career as a social worker. It is also true that serving others and being generous with one's money are keys to happiness, not how much wealth we accumulate or what we buy with it. I couldn't agree more! This is a very helpful book and I enjoyed liste
...more
Better than OK, but not amazing. Too political, too Ayn Rand-ish.
I believe that hard work is a necessary ingredient for success, but it's not sufficient. A whole lot more is also necessary. Without hard work, you fail. No question.
That said, all the hard work in the world won't make you "prosper" in the lucre sense. You need great ideas, connections, and some grace, luck, or more along the way. Furthermore, if your family/cultural environment is not attuned to the value of work, education, self ...more
I believe that hard work is a necessary ingredient for success, but it's not sufficient. A whole lot more is also necessary. Without hard work, you fail. No question.
That said, all the hard work in the world won't make you "prosper" in the lucre sense. You need great ideas, connections, and some grace, luck, or more along the way. Furthermore, if your family/cultural environment is not attuned to the value of work, education, self ...more
LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! I have read it three times and am reading it aloud to the kids right now. Every time I read it, I get more out of it. Business tips, life tips, and even tips on how to become a better person that are quite practical. I love this book because I feel like "we" as a society, have gotten a good brainwashing from Hollywood on how capitalism is bad, making money is bad, being productive is bad...but only in tiny doses, until the point where volunteering/good, working/bad...th
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| knott India | 1 | 5 | Oct 21, 2014 02:08AM |
Readers also enjoyed
Rabbi Daniel Lapin
Early life and education
Daniel Lapin was born into a prestigious Torah family. He was a student of his father, Rabbi A.H. Lapin, who served the Jewish communities in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa, eventually immigrating to America with his wife where they established the Am Echad synagogue in San Jose, CA. Like his father before him, Rabbi Lapin was privileged to learn ...more
Early life and education
Daniel Lapin was born into a prestigious Torah family. He was a student of his father, Rabbi A.H. Lapin, who served the Jewish communities in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa, eventually immigrating to America with his wife where they established the Am Echad synagogue in San Jose, CA. Like his father before him, Rabbi Lapin was privileged to learn ...more
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