Ethical Wills- Part I

We are pretty good at at writing wills and making sure that our financial affairs will be tended to after we die. But writing a spiritual-ethical will is not common practice. This Jewish concept of leaving an ethical will, laying out values and principles that guide ones life goes back to the Torah, when Jacob leaves each of his children a specific blessing. This practice was popular in medieval times, and there are examples throughout the centuries.

I am blessed to have my grandfather's "Life Lessons" that he recorded in 1999 for his 89 birthday. I don't think he set out to write an ethical will, but this document, written in long hand, though he was quite comfortable on the computer, is a wonderful record of the ideals he valued and the principals that guided his life. I share some of what he wrote here.

Love, Life and Money

Our life is but a twinkle of a star in he infinity of time. A happy productive life depends upon good health, security and a good relationship with others.The evaluation of the important things in life is essential so that we can apportion our time and energy accordingly. Good health requires sensible living, avoiding excess and abuse of our body, obsessions, tensions and anxieties. Our relationship to others should include respect, consideration and compassion. We should have pride in ourselves; conduct ourselves with dignity and avoid envy. We should profit by our mistakes and accept them with equanimity.
Love is the greatest motivating force in life. This includes the love of people, the love of country, the love of occupation, the love of nature and the love and pride in one’s religion. The most important love of husband and wife is a buttress against the misfortunes and hardships that may occur in the course of living. It is the sustaining force in adversity and can with stand the test of time. This love should not be threatened by indiscretions or the unwillingness to make concessions. The exhilaration of living together far exceeds living side by side.
In discussing money, it is apparent in our civilization that this is a necessity for living, raising and educating a family and providing for old age. However, it should not be an all-consuming obsession but rather takes its place in relative importance. A person’s occupation should not be a chore engaged in solely for remuneration. One should derive pleasure in his job with a feeling of accomplishment and pride.
Utilization of one’s money is often a perplexing situation. Earning money may be easier than holding on to it. Actually there is no honest way of easily making money. Disaster frequently is the result of greed, a trait which causes a complete loss of perspective. Money is a trust which we partially use for ourselves and for charity, eventually turning it over to our descendants with the hope that they will use it wisely.

Dr. Justus Irving Kaufman- February 13, 1999