Talmudic & Halakhic StudyNew
Maaser Kesafim: Obligation or Custom?
Halakhic study · eight sections
Maaser kesafim is not mentioned in the Talmud, and it has no binding source, either in the Torah or in the words of the Sages. It is an important custom that spread in the time of the Rishonim, mainly among the Chasidei Ashkenaz. Whoever practices it is generally fulfilling the mitzvah of tzedakah, so the money is meant mainly for the poor. Some midrashim see it as a continuation of the idea of maaser sheni, which was meant to bring a person closer to the Torah, and so they direct it to those who toil in Torah.
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