A brief look at the history of money: Money is an ancient invention; we know of coins that circulated as early as 650 years BCE. In the beginning, money was evaluated by weight and cost of the metal itself, but metal coins were gradually replaced by paper bills. At the start of the 17th century, Europe was already printing paper money.

Up to this day, money remains in the center of everybody’s attention and causes numerous arguments while traveling from hands to hands and serving as a medium of connection between people. What is the cause of such advanced use of money?

There are only Light and desire (Kli) that we need to tie together. This connection appears due to the fact that each conceals their ego under a screen that is called a “covering” (Kisufa). “Money” (Kesef) derives from this word. If I have a covering on my desires and hence am able to use them correctly, it means that I possess a screen, a covering, “money.”

As a result of this action in our world, as the reflection of the spiritual root in the material branches, there is a rule in our world that any reception must be preceded by an effort. This work is what creates the covering on desire. The degree of my willingness to work for the sake of some desire determines the extent of its eventual fulfillment.

In the ancient times, people worked solely to eat, similar to animals that are searching for food all day long and live for the animate body’s needs: food and procreation. Money is the most natural object, and even if there isn’t any and a person is face to face with himself, nature, or the Creator, he still pays with his effort to satisfy the desires. After all, during this work, new desires emerge in him, to fulfill which he needs to work, in order to build a screen, a covering over them.

Therefore, the need to have money, the screen, appears at the moment when desire emerges. Over the course of the entire history people constantly bartered: “You give me this, I give you that,” paying if not with money, then at least with a smile, gratitude, good attitude. There is no chance to take something from someone having not paid. We either pay voluntarily or forcefully, following regulations accepted in the society. And if we don’t, then the upper system will definitely clean up our debts in the end and return the balance to the merchant.
[36771]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/1/11, Lesson on Money

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