Tithing (Maaser)

Maaser, giving one tenth part of something given to charity, appears often in the Torah. But how does tithing work, and what is its history?

"ויקחו לי תרומה" “Let them take for Me an offering.” (25:2) QUESTION: The word “li” — “for Me” — seems to be superfluous, would it not be sufficient to say, “Veyikchu terumah”? ANSWER: The first offering the farmer separates from his harvest is terumah, w...

Study the daily lesson of Sefer HaMitzvos for day 131 with Rabbi Mendel Kaplan, where he teaches the mitzvah in-depth with added insight and detail.

In addition to the basic kosher laws (such as the kosher species of meat and fish, and the separation of meat and dairy), there are several other kosher considerations. Here are some of them . . .

Are you investing your life savings based on wikinformation? Are you treating a fatal condition based on a health blog you found? Are you calling a once-in-a-lifetime business contact on a VOIP line?

Imagine a stock trader selling off his computers, a cab driver cutting back on gasoline purchase or a printer auctioning off his presses. You don't tamper with whatever is generating the income!

The wealthy fellow politely explained how he would love to give but can’t, because he already gave his share of charity for the year . . .

Is it indeed inappropriate to scale back on charitable disbursements when times are tough, when we are curtailing our spending in so many other lifestyle areas?

Question: My question is regarding giving a tenth of our income to charity. My husband and I have always been faithful in this, but recently we have fallen into financially difficult times. We have several small children, and often times we do not have en...