This past weekend saw five thousand rabbis gather together for a weekend of seminars and workshops during the annual Chabad Convention in Brooklyn. The conference concluded with a gala banquet in Red Hook, Brooklyn. In what is termed as the largest sit down event in New York, an entire warehouse was converted into a banquet hall with 95 chefs preparing the meal and 400 waiters serving it together with 15,000 glasses and 30,000 pieces of cutlery.
The guest speaker, Gennedy Bogolubov, flew in from the Ukraine to address the crowd. Bogolubov inspired the crowd as he related how his life took an upward turn after he started giving charity. To date, he has given millions of dollars to various Chabad causes, and expressed his amazement at how a mere act of giving can bring so much joy. “No longer am I focused on myself and my own needs, rather I get to concentrate on what other less fortunate people require. The ripple effect of charity is far reaching into many other areas of my life, creating an incredibly positive flow.” Many people believe that if they were to donate their hard earned money, they would automatically surrender some essential part of themselves. In fact, the opposite is true. Bogolubov concluded by saying that if given the opportunity, he wouldn’t change a thing and would gladly re-donate the same millions.
The Torah interestingly refers to the act of giving charity as “taking.” We learn this from the time when the Israelites were instructed to contribute toward the building of the Tabernacle. G-d commanded them to "take a contribution." The commentaries explain that the strange terminology refers to the benefit derived from the mitzvah of charity, for when one gives, it is not he that is doing the favour, rather it is the receiver who gives the donor the opportunity to perform this immensely beneficial mitzvah.
The Torah instructs us, "Tithe so that you shall prosper." The prophet Malachi swears that G‑d will "open the windows of heaven and shower us with blessing to no end." Our sages taught that in the merit of charity we are blessed with life, grace and abundance. Indeed, compassion toward others evokes Divine compassion toward us. In times of economic downturn, when we need G‑d's blessing more than ever, charity is not a luxury, it is a necessity. And one needn’t be a billionaire to give. For when the average Joe pledges ten percent of his earnings, his contribution rivals even that of the greatest philanthropist. So start giving!