Rabbi Celso Celso Cukierkorn Quotes

Remember that while Christians say "Jesus saves," we Jews say "Moses invests. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

My people have more know-how in dealing with money than any other people on earth. It is not just a stereotype. I have traveled the world, and everywhere I go, Jews are always represented within the wealthiest sector of people in their countries. During the last 2,000 years, Jews have been expelled or turned away from almost every country in the world, but over and over again, they have been able to re-settle, start from nothing, and build significant wealth in new lands. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

The financial game is a team sport. God established a covenant with Noah after the flood, and later he established a covenant with Abraham. A covenant is an agreement between two parties. In order to prosper, you must establish what I call a "carevenant" with your family ~ Celso Cukierkorn

When we give away at least 10 percent of everything that we earn, in essence we perform an act of purification, cleansing all of the negative energy that our money carries. We remove just a small portion – the 10 percent of the earnings that represent and will create obstacles and challenges in our lives. # ~ Celso Cukierkorn

I believe that the true definition of wealth is loving what you have rather than what you don't have. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

Instead of hunting and gathering, instead of farming and harvesting in the area where we live, we are flying God's fruits and vegetables around the planet, not eating foods designed for our terrain and climate. We are distributing, selling and consuming "fresh foods" (or so the package says) days and weeks after they have been harvested. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

Leverage is a term that makes us sound very sophisticated and wise when we use it. Let's analyze what it really means. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

In my mind, the function of the bank is to save your money. The bank should not cost you money. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

We use money that we don't have to show off to people that we don't even like. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

Luxury items are those things that are mass-produced by a third party and marketed to us to purchase so that we can express our individuality. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

Through the ages, many different groups have called themselves victims. Some came through wars and massacres. Some were slaves or minorities. But the Jews, who have always been victimized throughout history, don't see themselves as victims. We see ourselves as survivors. The difference between survivors and victims is that survivors go on with their lives after a tragedy, whereas victims continue to wallow in self-pity. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

If you follow these simple truths, you will gain control over your financial future, and probably be able to accumulate millions and millions of dollars. These truths are not just about money, but about self discipline and the proof of love between yourself and your family. While I have gleaned these truths from the wisdom of the Jewish people, they will work for anyone in any setting regardless of religious background or income level. This is the oldest financial system in history and the only one that has survived the test of time. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

Far too many people are signing up to become slaves to their credit card companies. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

The world always pays you less than you are worth. Don't sell yourself short even further. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

Today, we are the only people who are more likely to own a professional sports team than to play for one. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

There are less than 14 million Jews in the world, compared to the almost two billion Muslims who own most of the oil and natural resources. Yet if you visit any major city in the world, you will find that the best hospitals are named Mt. Sinai, Cedars Sinai, or Albert Einstein because they are hospitals built by donations from Jews for the good of the people. If you go to any major university, you will see how many of the major donors and scholarship providers are Jews. The Jewish people are more likely to give as much they can to charities, and at the same time will be the most value-conscious consumers. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

As we understand it, everything is in the Bible for one reason – to teach us a lesson. Thus, in the beginning of the Bible, we see how God budgets His time for labor, and He saves the seventh day for rest, or retirement. The concept of budgeting was created by God to give us a life of prosperity in the world He created for us, so we should learn to budget as a way to emulate God in our financial life. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

Tzedakah is different than charity. Charity comes from the word charitus, which means heart. Tzedakah comes from the word tzedek, which means justice, so when you are giving tzedakah, you are not just making the world a better place by contributing to hospitals, synagogues, churches, or your favorite cause. You are in a position of bringing justice to the world, becoming as God-like as possible. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

When you sacrifice everything for your family, and you're committed to changing your lifestyle to secure a better future, it is not an act of greed, but rather an act of faith. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

Shalom is understood to mean peace, but peace is only one part of the word's real meaning. The root shalem means completeness. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

If you can live with less of what you have.
You can be more of who you are. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

Poverty is a result of poor choices not of poor luck ~ Celso Cukierkorn

There will always be businesses and companies, trying to make money from you, but that's not the problem. The real problem is that you're feeding the Beast. You're allowing him to run free and overpower your Angel, and that is reflected in your financial life. It's the reason your paycheck comes and goes, and it makes prosperity impossible. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

When we entered the material world, God lent us a body to act as a vessel and encase our souls. Our body is our temple and, miraculously, it is in a state of constant renewal.
Fat cells are replaced at the rate of 10% each year. Skin cells are renewed every two to four weeks. Our 9,000 taste buds are renewed every 10-14 days. Our skeleton is renewed every two years. Every day billions of cells replace the ones that came before them. We are in this miracle of creation and renewal every second of our lives ... unless we mess up that renewal.
God not only gave us a constantly renewing body, but he also provided a profoundly rich, diverse and constantly-renewing food supply. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

In order for you to acquire luck you must be at the right place, in the right time and show the work of your hands, your labor, and your talent. Luck, according to the creator, is not a happenstance or the result of probabilities or numerical factors. I is a function of you creating your own land and being the ruler of your earthly possessions according to a greater purpose. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

Remember, you are not a heavy person trying to slim down. You are a trim, healthy person learning how to reemerge. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

In Biblical times, there were two different kinds of currency. One was shekels, which means weights,. The other coin was a zuz, which comes from the earth's circular movement and had nothing to do with the value of gold or silver. It had its own inherent value to it. The word "amen" was inscribed in the zuz, which is an acronym in Hebrew for the phrase "El Melech Neeman," meaning "the sovereign is trustworthy" and is an organizational copy of the statement "In God We Trust" that is found on our U.S. money. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

In today's world, people are born into different circumstances, but unlike the pagans, each of us has an opportunity to change our circumstances based on our actions. Some who are born into families who are at the lowest end of the economic spectrum, but manage to create enormous wealth and prosperity for themselves and their families. Others are given tremendous wealth and opportunities, but squander them by making poor choices. Many of them let their inner Beast gain control, and they end up with nothing. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

You don't persecute an entire people unless you fear the truth that they are carrying! ~ Celso Cukierkorn

If you are debt free and got $10 in your pocket, you are already wealthier than 25% of Americans. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

I recently read that 99% of dieters fail to maintain their weight loss and, given my past experience, that statistic feels true to me! ~ Celso Cukierkorn

After the Jews crossed the sea and the desert, they reached the Promised Land. Scouts were sent to look at the land before settling. When the scouts came back, they reported that the people in the land were giants. "We looked at them and they looked at us as if we were grasshoppers," they said.
Sometimes when we make a decision to make a change in our lives, we feel just like those scouts. However, if you pay attention to the words of the Bible, it was not the giants living in the land of Israel who believed that the Jews looked like grasshoppers. It was the Jews' own perception. When they looked at the giants, they believed they were the grasshoppers. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

He never addressed it as infidelity. To Jordan Belfort and his men, sex with a Blue Chip was a reflex of sorts – a kind of spasm or procedure or 'niche-service', useful as a form of stress relief; as the girls were never regarded as fully human, there were no problems. There were, the brokers felt, certain liberties to which men of power were entitled. ~ Antonella Gambotto-Burke

A: 10% savings 10% donation 35% housing and living expenses 25% food 5% entertainment 6-10% retirement (more if you're older) 3-5% college fund for children ~ Celso Cukierkorn

You probably never realized this, but God wants to partner with us so that we can establish his kingdom here on earth. Have you heard of the universal principal of receiving? This principal is simply that in order to receive, you have to share. According to the Jewish tradition, an act of charity has the ability to change even a negative heavenly decree. Charity is not just meant to improve the world and those around you. It may surprise you to learn that it mostly serves to improve ourselves. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

By investing in their families and in their communities, not only did they have a better life, they were also able to do what they were meant to do – become their better selves. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

arrogance is knowledge minus wisdom ~ Celso Cukierkorn

God sent the Egyptians ten plagues that became increasingly harder, one after the other, starting with blood, and ending with the death of the first born. Similarly, debt sometimes starts with charging just a couple of extra dollars to our credit cards when we want something we can't afford to pay cash for. Before long, it might turn into a second mortgage on our house. Debt can kill our future and take our house with it. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

There is much more to wealth than simply a bank account with many zeros. A well-balanced, whole life is made up of wealth and success that comes from many facets; family, friends, work, faith, it is the complete person who works on each of these areas and creates the whole, ~ Celso Cukierkorn

In the English language, we have one word for love, which translates into our sexual drive. The ancient Greeks had more than one word for it, including the word agape. It means to compromise or sacrifice, and it's a kind of love I've seen in all couples who have gotten married and stayed married. It is my opinion that this kind of love determines the entire success of your married life, and to an extent, it's a good part of your financial life too. Reaching a financial goal always takes a little bit of sacrifice, and would be impossible to do on your own. Once you and your spouse realize that mutual sacrifice is a healthy part of your marriage, you are well on your way to achieving harmony in planning for your finances together. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

A very interesting scene appears in the Bible right after the ten plagues. The Egyptians had enslaved the Jews and mistreated them, then they were punished severely, having their economy devastated and life as they had known it taken away from them by the effects of the ten plagues. But as the Jews were about to leave Egypt, the Egyptians gave the Jews all of their jewelry. Remember, these were people who had just lost their first born children. This was an amazing gesture of blessing from the ones who had cursed you. It would have been very easy for the Egyptians to have fallen into the "victim mode". Instead it was much more empowering for the Egyptians to take this as an experience never to be repeated. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

Remember, buying something is not the problem. The problem comes when we believe, for that moment, that the object we're buying is going to make us happy. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

Three Miracles of weight loss and health gain
First, you were given a constantly-renewing body. Second, all the foods you need have been provided. And third, you have a brain that is operating to coordinate your body and life according to your instructions. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

Some people say that leverage is the secret of the rich, but I believe it's actually the secret of the bankrupt. ~ Celso Cukierkorn

Israel is trying to legitimize the settlements, and he [Celso Amorim] said, quote, "Dayan is the leader of a policy condemned by the United Nations, and as such, it would go against Brazil's interest and world peace to allow him to become ambassador here." And for the moment, it doesn't look like the Brazilians are going to be standing down on this issue. ~ Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

Black! Black! Black! I am proud of being a Negro. Nor have I ever tried to beg tolerance from anyone. Superiority is not proved by color, but by the brain, by education, by willpower, by moral courage. ~ Jose Celso Barbosa

It would not lessen the shock and concern, but it would be something concrete in addition to the apologies. ~ Celso Amorim

Talks have reached a critical stage and negotiators need to reach a deal on agriculture in the next two weeks if efforts to restart the Doha round by the end of the year are to succeed. Some speak of a deadlock in the talks, .. I prefer to talk of a padlock, and the key is in the hands of the EU. ~ Celso Amorim