The Tree of Life and Prosperity: 21st Century Business Principles from the Book of Genesis

by Michael A. Eisenberg

Overview

“The Tree of Life and Prosperity is one of the most important business books out there right now for people looking to build, create, and do so with their heads and hearts.” -Laurie Segall, Correspondent for 60 Minutes+ and Founder of Dot Dot Dot Media

"Eisenberg has produced a book that will entertain, stimulate, and teach, whether the reader comes from the world of business or is literate in religious ideas, or both." -Dan Senor, Co-Author of Start-Up Nation

One of Israel’s most successful venture capitalists uses the words and actions of the Hebrew patriarchs to lay the foundations for a modern growth economy based on timeless business principles and values.

Entrepreneurs, businessmen, and investors are constantly looking for principles and rules that will pave the way for success. Usually, those at the forefront are successful entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley or legendary Wall Street investors. But the principles of economic growth, wealth creation and preservation were written long before the rise of the modern market economy and its heroes.

Michael Eisenberg—one of the most successful venture capitalists in Israel, and one of the first investors in Lemonade, and Wix—reveals in The Tree of Life and Prosperity the eternal principles for successful business, economics, and negotiation hidden in the Torah—and shows their relevance to the modern world we live in.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781637580707
Publisher:	Wicked Son
Publication date:	08/24/2021
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	469,920
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Michael Eisenberg is co-founder and General Partner at Aleph, an early stage venture capital fund with over $500 million under management. Michael has been a venture capitalist for twenty-five years. Aleph focuses on partnering with great Israeli entrepreneurs to build large, meaningful companies and impactful global brands. Since its founding in 2013, Aleph has invested in more than forty companies, including Melio, Lemonade, Bringg, JoyTunes, Healthy.io, and Nexar.

Since 2006, Michael has been writing the blog Six Kids and a Full Time Job, on topics ranging from politics to technology, Judaism, and macroeconomics. He was a contributor to TheMarker, a Hebrew-language daily business newspaper, and is the author of the “The Hummus Manifesto,” the seminal piece on Israel’s innovation scene. Michael has also published five books in Hebrew: The Vanishing Jew, Ben Baruch, The Tree of Life and Prosperity, Everyone can be Moses, and Roaring Tribe. He lectures frequently on venture capital, Israel, and entrepreneurship. He serves on the board of the nonprofit organization Yeshivat Har Etzion and is the chairman of The Shomer Hachadash. Michael lives in Jerusalem with his wife and eight children.

Table of Contents

Preface - What I Have Learned as an Investor 3

1 Parashat Bereishit - Mission (Im)possible 35

2 Parashat Noah - The Frustrated Inventor: Technological Innovation and Moral Innovation 53

3 Parashat Lekh Lekha - Wealth: Trial and Error 67

Political Addendum 81

4 Parashat Vayera - An Ember Saved from Fire 94

5 Parashat Hayei Sarah - Game Theory at the Cave of Machpelah 113

6 Parashat Toldot - The Birthright and the Blessing 131

7 Parashat Vayetzei - Quid Pro Quo 153

8 Parashat Vayishlah - From Love to Fear 177

9 Parashat Vayeshev - Land Reserve 195

10 Parashat Miketz - City Mouse 212

11 Parashat Vayigash - A Warning Sign 229

12 Parashat Vayehi - The Land and the Sea 254

Acknowledgments 280

Notes and Insights 286

Editorial Reviews

Michael Eisenberg provides brilliant insights into how the Bible can inform our understanding of business and markets. Eisenberg’s lessons are deeply impactful into how all business professionals should approach their decision-making. This book is certain to become required reading in all business ethics curricula.

Paul A. Gompers

Regardless of your background, The Tree of Life and Prosperity will equally nourish the mind and soul. It’s an instant classic that will inspire vibrant discussions in homes, classrooms, and boardrooms for years to come.

Robert Reffkin

Venture capital typically exists in a secular vacuum. But as Eisenberg demonstrates, it only really works when it’s undergirded by a moral framework of trust, mutual benefit, and societal advancement. This is a must-read for anyone who wants investing to be more than a zero-sum game.

Bradley Tusk

In this lucid reflection, Eisenberg shares not only ancient ethics and wisdom, but applies them to today’s thorniest questions of capitalism and governance. A must-read for anyone interested in changing—and fixing—the world.

Dr. Parag Khanna

Michael Eisenberg seamlessly weaves a brilliant expositional tapestry that uses the Torah to explain the intellectual and moral underpinnings of his illustrious investing career.

Robert J. Mylod

The Tree of Life and Prosperity is that rare treat. It quotes people who have probably never been quoted together in the same book, reflecting Michael Eisenberg’s intellectual breadth, integrated worldview, and experience as a successful venture capitalist. Irrespective of your level of familiarity with the biblical text or religious belief, The Tree of Life and Prosperity can surprise, delight, and challenge you.

David Jackson

Eisenberg has produced a book that will entertain, stimulate, and teach, whether the reader comes from the world of business or is literate in religious ideas, or both.

Dan Senor

The Tree of Life and Prosperity is one of the most important business books out there right now for people looking to build, create, and do so with their heads and hearts.

Laurie Segall

Eisenberg weaves seamlessly between Biblical sources and pressing issues in business and economics, explicating Torah values and applying them to the modern world. A fascinating read.”

Rabbi Menachem Penner

In today’s shifting economy, social consciousness and business have become intrinsically linked. The Tree of Life and Prosperity is the book the market has been waiting for—a succinct and compelling guide to ethical investing principles.

Aryeh B. Bourkoff

The Torah, we are told, has seventy faces, and Michael Eisenberg has revealed what is surely one of its most unexpected.

Yossi Klein Halevi

In an analytical tour de force, Michael brilliantly limns timeless lessons from the Torah to distill 21st-century first principles for business and ethics. This book should be read by everyone interested in starting a company.

Keith Rabois

The Tree of Life and Prosperity is a superb read for anyone in the world of business, or for anyone wondering how to reconcile the values of Genesis with the bewildering 21st-century world of Nasdaq and crypto.

Matti Friedman

Michael Eisenberg blends battle-tested business acumen with the wisdom of the ages in this eye-opening, mind-expanding, and thoroughly-enjoyable book.

Nir Eyal

Move over Warren Buffett: turns out that the best investment thesis of all comes straight out of the Book of Genesis. Principles, in fact, are a competitive advantage. Eisenberg’s erudition is deep and wide: this is a book to be savored and shared.

Ann Kirschner