THE BAIS HAVAAD HALACHA JOURNAL: Volume 5776 Issue XXXI Parshas Kedoshim USING MAASER MONEY TO FUND A DOWRY When may one pay for services using ma'os maaser? By: Rav Yosef Greenwald
May ma’os maaser be used for paying a dowry? May it be used for supporting a son in kollel indefinitely? May ma’os maaser be used for paying tuition for high school yeshiva students? May it be used for hefty seminary payments? These are some of the questions this article attempts to resolve.
TAKANAS USHA – SUPPORTING YOUNG CHILDREN
We begin with the Gemora in Kesubos Daf 49B – In Usha they made a Takana that one should support his sons and daughters when they are young.
The Mechaber in YD 251 rules like the Rambam that someone who pays for his sons to become Bnei Torah and for his daughters to go in the straight path is doing a Mitzva. He is preparing them to become well developed, mature and productive members of a Torah society. As far as Hilchos Tzedoka is concerned one should support kirovim, his own family members, before richokim, people who are not closely related to him. Although there is less fanfare and prestige in supporting family members who are struggling with poverty or illness, one should do so. There is no one closer than a child.
Let us now discuss the obligation of maaser kesofim, giving to charity one tenth of one’s earnings. Is the obligation of giving maaser from the Torah, from the Rabbanan or a minhag? Israeli poskim such as Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Zt”l and Rav Yisroel Yaakov Fisher, Zt”l are machmir on many maaser kesofim questions because the posuk of Aser a’asrenoh loch indicates it’s an obligation from the Torah. The consensus of poskim from outside of Eretz Yisroel, and primarily Rav Moshe Zt’l, is to be lenient in these questions, considering maaser kesofim as being only a minhag.
May ma’os maaser be used for paying a dowry? May it be used for supporting a son in kollel indefinitely? May ma’os maaser be used for paying tuition for high school yeshiva students? May it be used for hefty seminary payments? These are some of the questions this article attempts to resolve.
TAKANAS USHA – SUPPORTING YOUNG CHILDREN
We begin with the Gemora in Kesubos Daf 49B – In Usha they made a Takana that one should support his sons and daughters when they are young.
The Mechaber in YD 251 rules like the Rambam that someone who pays for his sons to become Bnei Torah and for his daughters to go in the straight path is doing a Mitzva. He is preparing them to become well developed, mature and productive members of a Torah society. As far as Hilchos Tzedoka is concerned one should support kirovim, his own family members, before richokim, people who are not closely related to him. Although there is less fanfare and prestige in supporting family members who are struggling with poverty or illness, one should do so. There is no one closer than a child.
Let us now discuss the obligation of maaser kesofim, giving to charity one tenth of one’s earnings. Is the obligation of giving maaser from the Torah, from the Rabbanan or a minhag? Israeli poskim such as Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Zt”l and Rav Yisroel Yaakov Fisher, Zt”l are machmir on many maaser kesofim questions because the posuk of Aser a’asrenoh loch indicates it’s an obligation from the Torah. The consensus of poskim from outside of Eretz Yisroel, and primarily Rav Moshe Zt’l, is to be lenient in these questions, considering maaser kesofim as being only a minhag.
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