Product Description

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."
-Zig Ziglar, author and motivational teacher

"Is it practical to apply spiritual lessons to the hardheaded world of business? In this potentially life-changing book, Rabbi Daniel Lapin proves that it's impractical not to use those lessons-and to bring ancient, timeless wisdom to contemporary problems. This unique approach provides an organized, supremely useful view of the world, combining common sense and unexpected, even startling insight. No matter how successful or sophisticated you may be, this remarkable work will enrich your understanding of the important, exciting process of building wealth."
-Michael Medved, nationally syndicated radio host and author of Hollywood vs. America

"Rabbi Daniel Lapin is a light unto the nations. A risk-taking rabbi of immense wisdom, his books have already influenced countless Jews and non-Jews with the eternal truths of the Hebrew Bible. Now, in this highly insightful and controversial new book, Rabbi Lapin unearths the golden nuggets of Jewish business genius. By emphasizing the unique talents of the Jewish way of life, Rabbi Lapin demonstrates how Judaism's spiritual regimen can be translated into tangible material rewards, with the bottom line being directly affected. A thoroughly engaging, enriching, and thought-provoking book."
-Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, author of Kosher Sex and Judaism for Everyone

"Rabbi Lapin is an unorthodox Orthodox rabbi. He understands the Biblical nature of economic freedom as well as he understands the Bible: uniquely well. Prosperity must have a purpose and Rabbi Lapin explores the wellsprings of the Judeo-Christian heritage to elucidate those purposes. In so doing, he also illuminates the road to greater prosperity for all. I really enjoyed this book and I heartily recommend it to people of all faiths."
-The Honorable Jack Kemp

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #101662 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Combining pop psychology, snippets of Jewish lore, homespun homilies and quotations from a daunting variety of sources, Lapin offers a manual on how to make money by succeeding in business. Lapin, a super-conservative Orthodox rabbi and talk show host, insists that everyone is in business "unless you are a Supreme Court judge [sic] or a tenured university professor." (Excluding professors fits with Lapin's devaluation of them, since he believes that higher education doesn't prepare for "real life.") The material is organized into 10 chapters of advice, beginning with the notion that "business is moral, noble and worthy," and ending with the admonition not to retire. Throughout, Lapin urges behavior that will produce more business and, thus, more money. For example, he unabashedly recommends attending synagogue or church services in order to make business contacts. Similarly, he encourages giving charity to an organization that has members who "are in the best position to advance your business objectives." Lapin justifies these dubious actions by interpreting the fifth commandment ("Honor thy father and thy mother") as a mandate to form relationships for business purposes. His struggle to ground his financial advice in Jewish tradition is abandoned as he expounds an anti-environmentalist stance. He digresses still further from both Judaism and wealth-building when he gives tips for public speaking based on what his father taught him (talking without a manuscript or notes and not grasping the rostrum). Lapin's book may appeal to patient readers who share his conservative political and economic views.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Info
Author offers valid, useful information based on ancient wisdom and modern experience. He demonstrates how Judaism's spiritual regimen can be translated into tangible material rewards, with the bottom line being directly affected.

From the Inside Flap
The ups and downs of the economy prove the principle that the more things change, the greater the need for ideas that never change. There’s no better source for both practical and spiritual financial wisdom than the time-tested knowledge found in the ancient Jewish faith and culture. In Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money, Rabbi Daniel Lapin offers a practical approach to creating wealth based on the established principles of Jewish tradition. A renowned business consultant and biblical scholar, Rabbi Lapin uncovers a mother lode of wisdom and guidance in Jewish scripture and practice that will increase your potential for creating wealth, no matter what your faith or background may be.

Outlining ten fundamental "commandments" relating to business and money, Thou Shall Prosper explores the economic and philosophic vision of business that has been part of the Jewish culture for centuries. By blending contemporary business stories and his own business experiences with the wisdom of the Torah, Talmudic prescriptions, and even examples from the Zohar (the Jewish book of mysticism), Rabbi Lapin explains the essence of each "commandment" and shows you how to use this knowledge to financially prosper. Commandments include: Believe in the Dignity and Morality of Business, Do Not Pursue Perfection, and Know Your Money. Rabbi Lapin helps you understand such concepts as "being in business for yourself"; avoiding the trappings of a "wage slave"; learning to become a leader; changing with the times; and much more. So that you can apply each principle to your life, Rabbi Lapin suggests engaging and accessible action steps to start you immediately on the path to prosperity.

The principles discussed in Thou Shall Prosper may stem from Jewish culture and religion, but the desire to create wealth is universal. Anyone can learn these principles, apply them, and prosper. In following these ten money-making commandments, not only will you improve your life, you will also discover how business is the best way to "do good" while doing well and how you are in business regardless of how you earn your living. Thou Shall Prosper will change your views of money as well as attitudes towards yourself, and help you identify the critical steps that make success possible.

Customer Reviews

Both Entertaining and Useful
Thou Shall Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin is an excellent book that covers three general subject areas: self-help, personal finance and career development. Basically, the author gives advice in a series of commandments on "making money" where he sprinkles in Jewish wisdom. There is a great deal of useful advice that would have proved especially timely for many professionals in 2001. It does not offer a great deal of assistance dealing with short term cash generation. Rather, the author aims to give readers life-long direction with the goal of building wealth.

The underlying theme of this book is that wealth creation is fundamentally virtuous because it creates wealth and prosperity for your neighbors. Moreover, he stresses the value of money and why it is such an important element of society. His suggestions range from the subtle such as how to carry yourself to more profound concepts such as never aiming to retire.

The book is filled with interesting stories intended to reinforce his ideas. These include a 70 year old forklift driver who earns a six figure income through extensive overtime only to give the money away to charity. Another is a sales representative relative who likes to drive around to far-flung locations in his Rolls Royce.

While very entertaining, the book has its shortcomings. Rabbi Lapin glosses over how large segments of the economy do in fact operate with minimal honesty. Oddly, he even suggests not being entirely honest as it is not socially acceptable.

Like Evangelical Christian preachers, he draws some pretty far-fetched conclusions about the meaning of specific bible versus. The passages he selects support the virtuousness of earning a living. Any intelligent person can read several different meanings in the selections, so I would have to suggest that this approach won't convince many readers of his arguments. This isn't to mean the general ideas aren't strong, just the supporting passages. He also makes some highly questionable scientific claims. For example, he argues that watching movies instead of reading books is detrimental to your creativity because reading allows one to creatively develop images instead of having a director create them for you.

Despite its flaws, I personally found the book very, very interesting. If you like books such How to Win Friends and Influence People and Daniel Goleman's Primal Leadership, you will probably enjoy Thou Shall Prosper a great deal.

Daniel Lapin - map maker
This is much more than a "self-improvement" book. It is a stand-alone Daniel Lapin "guide to the perplexed." It is a beautiful fusion of goals, skill sets and disciplines that, if perceived and applied diligently, can lead not only to "riches," but to the full realization of a well-rounded life that in itself is rich, and therefore may be the path to economic well being and even wealth. It is a wakeup call to would-be capitalists to this country's God-given economic system that should not only be embraced enthusiastically but proudly. It is an antidote to socialistic bromides and guilt trips. It is a road map to the delicious fruits of ethical capitalism.

Outstanding advice and wisdom
In "Thou Shall Prosper," Rabbi Daniel Lapin offers access to the timeless principles that Jews have understood and applied to business and finance for centuries. Both engaging and full of practical advice, this book is a pleasure to read and sheds light on the keys to personal and economic prosperity. Highly Recommended!