Freedom Requires Financial Responsibility

"real success, spiritual or financial, comes from daily disciplined choices, not dramatic moments"

One of the biggest themes in Parashat Beshalach is that freedom isn’t just about leaving Egypt, it’s about learning how to live responsibly once you’re free. And that’s exactly where financial literacy comes in. I have been reading and using the book, Resolved, 13 Resolutions for Life,  by Orrin Woodward as a guide to help me on my journey of personal development and growth. I try to correlate the resolutions with the timeless wisdom of the Torah in my life. I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking personal development.

In Resolved, Orrin Woodward talks a lot about results, not intentions, not emotions, not excuses. Results. And the Torah does the same thing in this week’s parashah. Take the mann. HaShem provides food every single day, but there are very clear rules: You take what you need for the day, no more, no less. If you hoard it, it rots. If you don’t plan for Shabbat, you go hungry.

At first glance, the mann seems to teach a simple lesson: don’t worry about money; HaShem will provide. But a closer look shows something much more nuanced, and much more relevant to how we think about financial literacy today.

The mann wasn’t about magic. It was about discipline, consistency, and trust. The mann didn’t fall into people’s mouths. People still had to wake up, go out, collect it, prepare it, and manage it properly. That’s not passive faith, that’s responsible behavior with a higher purpose. Trust in HaShem did not replace effort; it gave effort healthy boundaries. Financial wisdom, the Torah suggests, is not choosing between hishtadlut (human effort) and bitachon (trust), but knowing how to balance them.

Woodward emphasizes that successful people live intentionally, not emotionally. The people who grabbed extra mann were acting out of fear. Fear of tomorrow. Fear of not having enough. And fear always leads to bad financial decisions. The Torah is teaching us that panic is not a strategy. 

At the same time, on Friday, the rules change. Now you’re supposed to take double, and it doesn’t spoil. Why? Because this isn’t hoarding; this is planning. Planning for Shabbat, for values, for something bigger than yourself. The Torah is teaching that planning ahead is not a lack of faith, it’s an expression of it. Saving for Shabbat is saving for meaning. That’s financial literacy right there: Knowing the difference between reckless accumulation and purposeful preparation. 

Another idea Woodward stresses is ownership, taking responsibility for your outcomes. In Beshalach, Bnei Yisrael can’t blame Pharaoh anymore. They’re free. And suddenly, they’re uncomfortable. Freedom requires accountability, and accountability is scary.

That’s true financially as well. It’s easier to complain about the system than to look honestly at our habits. But the Torah doesn’t allow the people to stay stuck in a victim mindset. The mann forces them to develop new skills: restraint, gratitude, patience, and trust. And when they complain about the mann, calling it “nothing,” even though it sustains them, we see another financial truth: ingratitude creates poverty, even when resources are present. Gratitude is not just spiritual, it’s financially stabilizing. Someone who can’t appreciate what they have will never feel secure, no matter how much they earn.

Parashat Beshalach teaches that money is meant to be a tool, not a master; a means of stability, not control. Financial wisdom, according to the Torah, is living with responsibility, planning with purpose, earning with effort, and trusting that parnassah (livelihood) ultimately comes from a Source beyond ourselves. In a world obsessed with either reckless risk or paralyzing fear, the mann offers a third path: daily responsibility grounded in enduring trust.

The lesson of Beshalach, aligned with Resolved, 13 Resolutions for Life, is that real success, spiritual or financial, comes from daily disciplined choices, not dramatic moments. You don’t become financially wealthy in one decision. You build it the same way the mann fell: one day at a time. HaShem provides opportunity. We provide effort. Results come from consistency. That’s not just good Torah, that’s a blueprint for life.