This week's parsha

Unless otherwise noted, "This week's Parsha" comprises articles taken from contributors to the Chabad.org website. We show the original author's name here, so that proper attribution is given. For the sake of brevity, footnotes cited in the original author's writings are omitted from this website. If you need to see the citations, please refer to the original articles on the Chabad.org website.

Unity and Monetary Purpose

Published: 20 March 2017 | Written by Lazer Gurkow

In Fiddler on the Roof, a film filled with memorable moments, the scene of Perchick's proclamation, "Money is the world's curse" and Tevye's defiant reply, "May the Lord smite me with it," stands out as prominent. Indeed, money is the source of humanity's greatest friction. Most marital disputes revolve around money. Most disagreements brought before the world's courts are about financial matters.

Yet money is also a source of inspiration. Warren Buffet's 2006 announcement of his eighty-five billion dollar contribution to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation stands out as one of the noblest moments of the last decade. I don't know of a single act that inspired more philanthropy and generosity worldwide. Philanthropy begets philanthropy. Pledges of matching grants to charitable institutions rarely fail to inspire generosity on the part of others. Indeed, money can serve to ennoble and inspire.

Making Decisions

Published: 13 March 2017 | Written by Rochel Holzkenner

A young couple was having an intense marital dispute and went to the rabbi for mediation. The rabbi listened first to the wife, who expressed her resentment towards her husband for his annoying behavior. The rabbi listened empathetically, nodded his head, and said, “You are right.”

“Wait a second -- you’ve got to listen to my side as well!” the husband interjected. He then proceeded to explain to the rabbi what his wife had done to irritate him. The rabbi listened emphatically, nodded, and said, “You are right.”

The rabbi’s wife, who had been listening to the entire conversation from the next room, called her husband aside and said to him, “My dear husband, this couple came here for help in settling their dispute. You can’t agree with both of them.”

Make Some Noise!

Published: 06 March 2017 | Written by Mendel Kalmenson

A fascinating study recently revealed the impact of 50 mega celebrities on various charities.

$37,625,503 is a lot of money. That's the amount raised by just ten of those celebrities in the past year, and, amazingly, without them even dipping into their own bank accounts.

They simply attached their names to worthy causes, and the money poured in.

There is even a website that tracks the amounts and beneficiaries of celebrity donations. Their homepage states that they track "1,424 charities, 1,978 celebrities and counting…"