Rav Kook’s wife was extremely upset. The Rav had not been paid in over three weeks. She approached the administrators and they showed her documentation that the Rav had in fact been paid, on time, for the past month.
That night she approached her husband about the missing paychecks. He simply explained that he had been giving the money to poor families for Shabbos food. His reasoning was; 'my family can get credit at the supermarket, but these individuals can not get credit, so they need the money.' Needless to say, from then on the paychecks went directly to the Rav’s wife.
In this week’s parsha, an inventory of the resources collected for the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) is taken. The gold, silver, and other resources are fully accounted for. Moshe, the most humble and self-sacrificing leader of the Jewish people, was audited.
The resource curse, also known as the paradox of plenty, refers to the paradox that countries and regions with an abundance of natural resources (specifically resources like minerals and fuels,) tend to have less economic growth and worse developmental outcomes than countries with far fewer natural resources.
One theory for a reason why the resource curse exists is corrupt leaders.The United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee report entitled "Petroleum and Poverty Paradox" states that "too often, oil money that should go to a nation’s poor ends up in the pockets of the rich, or it may be squandered on grand palaces and massive showcase projects instead of being invested productively". In one such country the roads were in such extreme disrepair because of government corruption in allocating funds, that the corrupt leaders who purchased Porsches and Ferraris could only drive them back and forth on the landing strip at the airport.
Part of what enables corrupt behavior is a lack of transparency. Great leaders are irreplaceable. Of equal importance are great accountants. Moshe was setting an example by illustrating the fact that if he was required to give an accounting, then everyone, including every future leader, is required to give an accounting. Accountability and transparency are essential for leaders and their constituents well being. The most important resources mentioned in the parsha are the human resources.
That night she approached her husband about the missing paychecks. He simply explained that he had been giving the money to poor families for Shabbos food. His reasoning was; 'my family can get credit at the supermarket, but these individuals can not get credit, so they need the money.' Needless to say, from then on the paychecks went directly to the Rav’s wife.
In this week’s parsha, an inventory of the resources collected for the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) is taken. The gold, silver, and other resources are fully accounted for. Moshe, the most humble and self-sacrificing leader of the Jewish people, was audited.
The resource curse, also known as the paradox of plenty, refers to the paradox that countries and regions with an abundance of natural resources (specifically resources like minerals and fuels,) tend to have less economic growth and worse developmental outcomes than countries with far fewer natural resources.
One theory for a reason why the resource curse exists is corrupt leaders.The United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee report entitled "Petroleum and Poverty Paradox" states that "too often, oil money that should go to a nation’s poor ends up in the pockets of the rich, or it may be squandered on grand palaces and massive showcase projects instead of being invested productively". In one such country the roads were in such extreme disrepair because of government corruption in allocating funds, that the corrupt leaders who purchased Porsches and Ferraris could only drive them back and forth on the landing strip at the airport.
Part of what enables corrupt behavior is a lack of transparency. Great leaders are irreplaceable. Of equal importance are great accountants. Moshe was setting an example by illustrating the fact that if he was required to give an accounting, then everyone, including every future leader, is required to give an accounting. Accountability and transparency are essential for leaders and their constituents well being. The most important resources mentioned in the parsha are the human resources.
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