Where Does Ma’aser Kesafim Come From, and What Can it Be Used For?
Can I use my ma’aser kesafim, tithes from my income, to contribute to my synagogue’s building campaign, and can I use it to pay my shul’s membership dues?
The idea of tithing is alluded to in this week’s parasha. We are told that Yitzchak, “Sowed in that land and received in that year a hundredfold, and God blessed him” (Gen. 26:12), on which Rashi, quoting Breishit Rabbah, comments: “It produced 100 times what he had estimated; and this estimate was for the sake of ma’asrot, tithes.” Indeed, Rambam (Laws of Kings 1:9) attributes the pre-Sinaitic practice of tithing to Yitzchak based on
