Obligated to give ma'aser NO MATTER WHAT?

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amother

Thu, Nov 17 2011, 4:09 pm

I know this is a question for our LOR but I just wanted to know if anyone out there knows the answer or if you were ever in this situation. Do we have to give ma'aser NO MATTER WHAT?? We are in horrible financial situation right now and barely have enough money for our absolute necessities. Is there ever an out for this mitzvah?

newmother

Thu, Nov 17 2011, 4:15 pm

To the best of my knowledge you can keep a record of how much you "owe" of maaser and pay it slowly over time. But speak to a rav because I think that there might be some situation where you don't need to give maaser

TranquilityAndPeace

Thu, Nov 17 2011, 4:46 pm

I heard from a Rav (you can PM me for the name, I don't want to post it) that if a family is tight and paying high interest on credit cards, they should use their ma'aser money to pay off their credit cards.

The logic is that these types of bills (high interest credit cards) keep ballooning upwards, and if you don't pay them off fairly quickly, you will probably be on the receiving end of tzedakah pretty soon.

For sure, ask your LOR!

And I hope your financial situation improves quickly:)

saw50st8

Thu, Nov 17 2011, 4:58 pm

No, not no matter what.

There are also different ways to calculate maaser.

Maya

Thu, Nov 17 2011, 5:18 pm

I know many people who pay tuition with their maaser money.

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, Nov 17 2011, 5:23 pm

I also know of some who hold it's not a mitzvah chiyuvis. Definitely a shaila to be asked.

MillerFamily

Thu, Nov 17 2011, 5:28 pm

the simple answer is, No you do not have to give maaser.

here's is where it gets complicated. there are 2 seperate inyanim (1) Maaser (2) tzedaka

maaser is only a Minhag whereas tzedaka is a chiyuv. the minhag of maaser comes from the times when we would set aside 10% of our crops for the poor, now since we dont have crops (or the bais hamaikdash) it became a minhag to give 10% of your income to tzedaka.

tzedaka is halacha! the prefered way of doing this is to give 10% of your income to charity, however 10% is only the prefered way of doing it, and anything over the value of a few pennies will be Mikayaim the mitzvah of Tzedaka

there is no clear answer and everything depends on your personal situation. the only way you will be able to do the right thing, and actually FEEL like you are doing the right thing is to speak to your Rav

amother

Thu, Nov 17 2011, 5:33 pm

We are so so so tight right now (and have been for a while) that if we gave ma'aser we would have to yurn around and get tomchei shabbos and help with paying our rent.

Our rav told us we do not have to give or even count it or add anything up. The way he put it was if giving will make it that you need to get you do not have to give. The point of ma'aser is not to put us in a situation that will make us need it.

MillerFamily

Thu, Nov 17 2011, 5:38 pm

amother wrote:

EXACTLY RIGHT!!!!!!!!!! however the trick is to be honest with yourself, that way once you CAN start giving, you will

amother

Thu, Nov 17 2011, 6:17 pm

My husband learned you only give masser when you have enough money and that includes money put away to marry your kids off.

amother

Thu, Nov 17 2011, 6:18 pm

Op here. Thank you all for your replies. My dh is going to ask our rav tonight. But I think I know what he'll say.

B"H

Thu, Nov 17 2011, 9:01 pm

amother wrote:

My husband learned you only give masser when you have enough money and that includes money put away to marry your kids off.

not very many people would be giving maaser that way... Confused

Chanala1

Thu, Nov 17 2011, 10:31 pm

yes, definitely ask your LOR. in our situation we felt that whenever we gave maaser our financial situation just got better.

gp2.0

Thu, Nov 17 2011, 10:41 pm

Obviously a poor person doesn't have to give maaser. Now, whom does halacha define as poor? AYLOR.

Ruchel

Fri, Nov 18 2011, 2:13 am

Answers I heard or read range from:
Always, and 20% is ideal and a segula
To
You give maaser only if you make the neder to

Tzedaka is never optional.

I have heard you give maaser only if you are not supported in any way by anyone including state. Yet another opinion...

amother

Fri, Nov 18 2011, 6:56 am

Ma'aser is something you take upon yourself only when you are out of debt of any kind.
If you made a neder, and started giving, and then something happened to your financial situation, of course you need to consult a Rav, as to how to go about changing that.
Tzedaka you can give whenever you are able to spare some small change.
It is possible in some cases to buy seforim with ma'aser money, as well as many other options.
I hope your financial situation improves very soon and you will be on the giving end instead of C"V the receiving one. Meanwhile, don't feel guilt or obligation toward anyone.
20% is great when you are a multimillionaire, or more, as that amount is the ideal, but not the norm.

campmommy

Fri, Nov 18 2011, 10:48 am

ask your LOR, but whenever we gave when things were tight, things got better! It's a segula brought down in the Torah - the ONLY segula that's actually in the written Chumash!

seeker

Fri, Nov 18 2011, 2:22 pm

No. AYLOR for details but there is definitely a "poverty line" so to speak at which you do not have to give maaser. I think in general maaser is voluntary, though if you have always had the practice of doing it then it might not be voluntary for you anymore (like a neder - vow). Tzedakah in general is different, but need not be as much as 10%, you can be yotze tzedaka even with a few dollars here and there.

AYLOR for details, just sketching out the general halachos I've learned.

amother

Fri, Nov 18 2011, 3:07 pm

Sbulchan Aruch says you have to give after certain threshold expenditures. Even one receiving must give.

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