Can you describe the context around using the word mammon and if it is still used today in the Jewish community

Ah, pull up a chair, sit yourself down, and let us have a grand bit of chat over a warm cup of tea! It is lovely to be sharing a few moments with you today, looking into words, history, and the funny ways our human hearts get tied up with the things of this world.

Now, when you ask about that old word mammon, you are tapping into a fascinating bit of history that spans centuries, language, and the peculiar ways folk talk about wealth. You see, when people hear the word mammon nowadays, they often picture a greedy old demon or some dark, shadowy figure sitting on a throne of gold, luring poor souls into wickedness. But if you peel back the layers of time and look into our sacred Hebrew tongue, the origin is altogether simpler, though no less profound.

In ancient times, the root of the word comes from mamon, a standard Semitic word simply meaning money, profit, or material possessions. In fact, scholars often trace it back to the idea of ma’amon, that which one trusts or places confidence in, or perhaps from hamon, an abundance or accumulation of things. In the Hebrew Scriptures, you find the notion of wealth and property treated quite neutrally. Money in itself is not evil, for as the sages teach, everything created in this world contains a holy spark waiting to be elevated. Silver, gold, cattle, and land are simply the physical instruments through which a person can practice kindness, feed the hungry, and build a dwelling place for the Divine down here below.

Where things get sticky, as they so often do with us frail human beings, is when the gift becomes the object of worship. Wisdom enters softly, ego enters kicking doors, and somewhere along the way, a person starts believing that their coins are the true source of their security and strength. A man plans, and Heaven has a wee chuckle, especially when that man thinks his bank balance makes him master of his own destiny! When the ancient texts speak of mamon, particularly in the works of our ancient commentators and the mystical traditions of Kabbalah, the concern is never the metal itself, but the spiritual shift inside the heart. When a person trusts in mamon rather than in the Holy One, blessed be He, they turn a tool into an idol.

Now, over time, as the word travelled out into the wider world, through Greek and Latin translations, it took on a life of its own. Outside the Jewish tradition, folks began personifying it, turning mammon into the literal spirit of greed. But if you wander into a modern Jewish home, a synagogue, or a bustling street in Jerusalem today, how is the word actually used? In everyday modern Hebrew, mamon is simply the formal, slightly literary word for wealth, finance, or monetary assets. You might read it in a newspaper or a legal document concerning financial matters. Yet in daily conversation, your average Jewish person does not walk into a bakery and ask how much mamon a loaf of challah costs! They will use the everyday word kesef, which means silver or money.

In religious study, however, mamon remains a very active and respected term. When studying the Tanakh, we reflect on how a person must love the Divine with all their heart, all their soul, and with all their me’od—which the ancient commentary beautifully interprets as one’s mamon, meaning all of one’s material resources. The Kabbalists explain that money is connected to the realm of judgment and severity because it requires boundaries, measurement, and careful handling. If you use your wealth to bring light, comfort the grieving, and support the community, that silver shines with heavenly light. If you hoard it out of fear and pride, it becomes a heavy chain. Even Elijah had bad days, but he never let the glitter of the world distract him from the true light.

So you see, my friend, mamon is not a mysterious demon to be feared, but a very human test of character. It is still used today, primarily in our holy texts, our study halls, and formal Hebrew, carrying that age-old reminder: coins are lovely things to have in your pocket, so long as you do not let them take up residence inside your heart.