More Money Than God: Living a Rich Life Without Losing Your Soul [Hardcover]

Steven Leder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 25, 2003

In this beautifully written and moving book, author Steven Leder uses his 15 years of experience as a religious leader and spiritual counselor to tackle the questions with which all of us wrestle on a daily basis: How to keep money from being a focal point, how to understand the difference between wants and needs, what kind of moral code to live by while seeking the comfort that money brings, how to teach children about values involving money, and more.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gold is not a problem unless we fashion it into a calf to worship, according to this engaging volume of moral instruction. Leder, a rabbi and author of The Extraordinary Nature of Ordinary Things, addresses the spiritual problems of accumulating and then liquidating wealth in a responsible fashion, reminding readers that wisdom, family, friendship, fulfillment and ethics all take precedence over mammon. His ecumenical approach invokes the teachings of Buddha, Christ and Abe Lincoln, but maintains a characteristically Jewish tone of religious obligation tempered by common sense and infused with a concern for social justice. Practical advice abounds, on tithing (a tenth-at least-of one's income should go to charity); on money and kids (make them work for it, and no credit cards before college); on business ethics (reasonable profits are okay, but don't take advantage of another person's ignorance of the market); on workaholism (keep the Sabbath holy, because "we must put limits on the degree to which we are willing to sell our soul for a dollar"); and on loans to relatives (better to co-sign than to lend outright). There's nothing surprising in these ageless verities, but Leder conveys them with a mixture of parables, proverbs, jokes and sermonettes (on, among other things, why marriage is a lot like fishing for halibut) that keeps them fresh.
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Review

"Steve Leder is everything we search for in a modern wise man. He offers remarkably healing guidance." -- Wendy Wasserstein, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright

"With wit, gentleness, and the forthrightness earned by love, this book speaks to those lost in the maze of wealth." -- Jerusalem Post

[A] practical, rational, refreshing book... -- Cleveland Plain Dealer

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing; First Edition edition (November 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566251958
• ISBN-13: 978-1566251952
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,534,645 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to be generous and grateful, January 29, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: More Money Than God: Living a Rich Life Without Losing Your Soul (Hardcover)

This is an exceptional book. Rabbi Leder writes with humility and wisdom about a crucial topic: In our money-crazy society, how can we stay focused on what's truly important? So many people have everything they want but nothing they need. With humorous as well as bittersweet examples, he writes that we need to work less, love our families more, and "send the elevator" back down for people who have less. Life is short: Make it count. Highly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very rewarding book, December 22, 2003

By 

Andrew Perry (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: More Money Than God: Living a Rich Life Without Losing Your Soul (Hardcover)

This is such a good book. I loved it. It is a perceptive and compelling book that stayed with me long after I read it.
More Money than God is subtle and profound and gently offers guidance to enhance your life. It can be easy to lose sight of what really matters in life and this insightful book redirects our gaze from amassing wealth to appreciating those people around us who we love.

This is a powerful book and I highly recommend it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth Its Weight in God, March 29, 2004

By 

Jerald Lazar (los angeles, ca United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: More Money Than God: Living a Rich Life Without Losing Your Soul (Hardcover)

No matter how much, or how little, money you have, you will be enriched by this timely tome. Like Rabbi Leder himself, 'More Money Than God' is hip, funny, engaging, and wise. It helps us reexamine our relationship to money, and how money affects us and our relationships to each other. Too many of us let money guide our lives. Rabbi Leder teaches how age-old spiritual guidance -- and Judaic principles -- can help you sort out your own morals and values when it comes to things you really can't put a price on. Rabbi Leder provides just the right "light touch" so that 'More Money Than God' comes across as good old-fashioned shmoozing, not sermonizing. But the lessons here are timeless and invaluable, for young and old. What Rabbi Leder has to tell us is simple, but not simplistic. You and your family will benefit mightily from this book. I bought a copy for my teenage daughter, and I've heard her quoting from it to her friends -- enough said. Enjoy!