The Otherworldly Abundance of Pennies and Friends

When I was in junior high, my mother warned me about hanging out with the “bad kids.” She didn’t actually call them that. Rather, she inferred that the kids who were sent to the principal’s office regularly, got detention for this infraction or that, and tended to get into trouble were to be avoided. In short, stay away from them. Not one to conform to anyone’s instructions, I did as I pleased and hung out with whomever I chose. The rebel in me scoffed. However, looking back with what I know now, I can see the merit of my mother’s warnings. I’m also a mom of four. So there’s that.

Think about the people you spend the most time with. Are they positive, successful, and proactive people? Do they tend to attract abundance? Do things seem to flow for them as if they have a magic touch? Or are they negative, angry, and spiteful, stewing in perpetual lack?

Ancient kabbalists and modern-day behavioral scientists alike believe that we should be meticulous about the people we surround ourselves with. The kabbalists teach about the profound impact that others have on our connection to the Light of the Creator. While a plethora of studies conducted over the last decade have social scientists linking greater self-control with those who have strong-willed friends and findings that people who pick friends that make poor choices get dragged down right along with them. Conversely, people whose friends inspire and challenge them have an increased likelihood of reaching self-described goals.

The month of Capricorn coincides with the holiday of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights. It is no coincidence that the lunar month begins with Light. This entire month is filled with an overabundance of energy. It’s so abundant and powerful that we risk a short circuit without proper preparation.The kinds of connections we can make during the rest of the year are easy in comparison, like shooting fish in a barrel. (You miss one, you still get lots of other opportunities.) But in Capricorn your one opportunity to connect to the blessings is during the window of Chanukah. Which arrives just in time to help us draw the gifts of Capricorn, a typically dark month.

The trick to success is straightforward—attachment. Stay with me! I’ll explain.

The Talmud offers an example. If Abraham (of Biblical fame) gave you one penny, you would become a wealthy person because you would “attach” to the Light of the Creator through Abraham. His wealth is a manifestation of his connection to the Creator. Even though he only gave you a penny, it would make you beyond wealthy.

So when you notice that things are going really well for someone, the Talmud teaches us that we should “attach” ourselves to them. Now I know how this might sound initially, so I must clarify what this means exactly. (I’m not saying go out and find wealthy or affluent people to glom onto.)

The first important point is that all our blessings come from the Light of the Creator. Yes, we influence how and when we receive abundance, health, friendship, or love as examples. Still, all gifts come from only one source, and we all can connect to the Creator directly without any need of an intermediary. Now, back to that penny, the penny isn’t a connection to Abraham. It is a connection to the Light of the Creator that manifests in the physical world through Abraham, who is a powerful conduit. Think of it like a bridge. Abraham isn’t personally ferrying us anywhere; we are just driving over his bridge.

The Talmud teaches that we should come close to that person, not to be closer to them, their possessions, or their success, but to be closer to the Light flowing through them and manifesting in their life. In doing so, one can ignite their own connection to the Light of the Creator. Just like Abraham, some people are channels of abundance.

To further clarify, true friendship develops over time, and it can’t be forced or manipulated. However, you can make overtures and extend invitations. Attaching to people who are connected with abundance isn’t about making a ploy for false companionship but instead becoming part of their circuitry to observe and model how they maintain their connection to abundance. If mature friendships do manifest, that’s also a wonderful benefit. This is the idea that kabbalists kept in mind in their relationships and who they associated with, which helped them become more elevated.

Light generates more Light. It is an endless cycle of abundance that is infinite.

How do you know if you are connected? It’s often easier to tell if you are not connected. Disconnection manifests in every negative emotion in the book, from uncertainty and anxiety to physical lack to envy and judgment. These are all reasonable indications that there is no continuity of abundance in your life.

Chanukah is our opportunity to effortlessly reconnect with that continuity of abundance that will sustain us endlessly, not only for the next month or even the next 12 months. As we gather to light the Chanukah candles and make a connection to the abundance and Light of the Creator, we should ask for two things: that those whom we know and love and who are lacking in their lives be filled with love and blessings, and that we experience what kabbalists describe as ‘the wisdom of the Tree of Life,’ meaning, that we experience everything in life in its most pleasant Light-filled form.

Chanukah is a time when the gates are wide open, meaning we have access to everything we need and want. The Creator’s wish is for all of us to be fulfilled at our most ultimate level. Attaching to the continuity of abundance is the gift of Chanukah, and the further beauty of the gift is that when we are connected, we become like Abraham, creating circuitry for everyone in our lives.