		The Joy Of Charity
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TITHING INCOME

REWARD

Tradition speaks of the reward for giving money to charity
and in particular, for tithing income.

Here are some quotes:

Reward In This World

From the homiletic teachings on Proverbs -

Rabbi Avahu said: If you see a person distributing his money to charity, know that his assets will increase, as it is said in Proverbs: (11, 24)

"here are people who scatter and yet increase".

From the Talmud (Taanit 9a) -

[The Talmud discusses a play on words that is impossible to render in English. The command to tithe ("Aser") is stated in Deuteronomy (14, 22) in the form of a doubled expression: "Aser T'aser". The simple explanation of the use of the doubled form is that it comes to emphasize, but still this verbosity invites homiletic explanation. Rabbi Yochanan explains that the word "T'aser" hints to the similar "Titasher" (meaning "you will become rich"), so that this form is used in order to tell one to tithe so that one will become rich.]

The boy replied,: "Aser T'aser."
Then the boy asked:: "What is (the significance of the repetition in) "Aser T'aser"?
Rabbi Yochanan replied,": "Tithe so that you may become rich (Titasher).
The boy asked,
: "How do you know?"
Rabbi Yochanan replied,: "Go and try!"
The boy said:: "Is one allowed to test the Holy One Blessed Be He? It is written (in Deuteronomy 6, 16);; 'Do not test God'.
Rabbi Yochanan replied:: "This is what Rabbi Hoshiah stated:"; 'This (tithe) is an exception because of the verse (in Malachi 3, 10): "Bring all the tithe into the storehouse that there should be food in my house, and test me in this, says the God of Hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you, and pour you out a blessing until there is more than sufficient".'

From the Talmud (Ketubot 66b)-

Rabban Yochanan ben Zaccai saw a girl picking barley grains from the dung of Arab cattle.

"My daughter," he asked her, "who are you?"
"I am the daughter of Nakdimon ben Gurion," she replied. "My daughter," he said to her,: "what happened to all the wealth of your father's house?"
She replied,: "Rabbi, do they not tell a proverb in Jerusalem:"; 'the salt (preservation) of money is diminution (for charity)'.; others say;; 'charitable deeds.'

But did not Nakdimon ben Gurion give charity?

It was said of him that when he left his house to the house of study, cloaks of fine wool were spread under his feet and the poor used to come behind him and fold them up (for themselves).

One can answer that he did this only for self-glorification; an alternative answer is that he did not give to charity in a manner appropriate to his means.

As people say: "In accordance with the camel is the burden."

From the practical law (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah, Chapter 27,3-4) -

If a person has mercy on the poor,
the Holy One Blessed Be He will have mercy on him.

Rabbi Moses Iserles comments:

He should bear in mind that he continuously seeks sustenance from God, and as he entreats God to listen to his pleading, so should he listen to the pleading of the poor. He should also bear in mind that there is a cyclic pattern in the world; and eventually, either he or his son or his grandson will become impoverished. If he is merciful to others, mercy will be shown to him.

Charity drives away harsh decrees, and in times of famine it rescues from death, as (for example) happened to the Zarephite woman (Kings 1 Chapter 17).

Rabbi Moses Iserles comments: It also enriches.

Reward In The World to Come

From the Talmud (Gittin 7a) -

What is the meaning of:

"they shall be sheared, and he shall pass" (Nahum 1, 12)

In the school of Rabbi Yishmael it has been taught: Anyone who shears off part of his possessions and uses it for charity will be delivered from the punishment of Gehinom. It is analagous to two sheep crossing through water, one shorn and the other not shorn. The shorn one gets across, and the unshorn one does not get across.

		The Joy Of Charity
new material		www.joyoflife.org.il	about this site