Does giving tzedakah really make money grow?

Rabbi Landau teaches that people say money doesn't grow on trees “because they don't understand how a tree works.” Ask a farmer whether a tree grows on its own. Of course not: “you plant, you water, you wait, then it grows, then it bears fruit.”

Money is the same. “It doesn't just fall into your lap, but it does grow if you plant it right.”

So what's the planting? You sow righteousness, and salvation sprouts. You give, and Hashem makes it grow. “So yes, money does grow on trees, but only if you plant the right seeds.” And the best seed, he says, is tzedakah.

Also answered in this teaching

When should I give tzedakah from what I earn?

In A Soul at Peace, Rabbi Landau suggests that every time money comes in, the first to receive it is the planting, before the bills and not from what is left over. A farmer plants first, and only then does he eat.

Going deeper: Rabbi Landau's teaching, level by level

Surface claim

Money grows the way a tree grows: from planting, watering, and waiting.

Fear, vulnerability, or tension

In A Soul at Peace, Rabbi Landau writes that the inner voice says, “If you give, you'll have less,” which is why it is so hard to open your hand when worry is pressing.

Underlying need or longing

People want a livelihood that is not random, something that grows rather than falls from nowhere.

Deepest human truth

You sow righteousness and salvation sprouts. You give, and Hashem makes it grow.