Giving from Your Success: Maaser

When Success Asks Something of You

You have worked hard. Maybe the business is growing, maybe a deal came through, maybe your parnassah has finally settled into something steady. There is money coming in. And somewhere inside, you feel the pull: what does Hashem want me to do with this?

That pull is real. It is the voice of something the Torah planted in us thousands of years ago. The practice of maaser (tithing) goes all the way back to the Chumash. In Sefer Devarim (the Book of Deuteronomy), Hashem tells us plainly: set aside a tenth of everything your field produces. The Gemara in Taanis (9a) takes it even further, reading the doubled language of the pasuk “aser te’aser” as a promise: “aser bishvil she’tisasher”, tithe so that you become wealthy. Giving maaser is not just an obligation. It is a conversation between you and Hashem about trust, gratitude, and what your success is really for.

Before You Learn This

Before you read these pesukim, pause. Think about what Hashem has given you this month, this year. Not just the money, but the ability to earn it, the health to work, the people who depend on you. Let your heart soften with hakoras hatov before you say a word:

Ribono Shel Olam, everything I have comes from You. The work of my hands is only successful because You bless it. I want to give back from what You have given me. Help me calculate my tithe with honesty. Help me give with a full heart, not a grudging one. Open my eyes to see the people who need my help, and open the gates of brachah so that my giving leads to even more giving. In the zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, hear my tefillah. Elokah d’Meir aneni.

If giving tzedakah, add:

In the zechus of the tzedakah I am giving to Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities, may Hashem bless the work of my hands and open the doors of parnassah wide. As I care for Torah scholars and the poor in Eretz Yisrael, may Hashem care for me and my family with abundance and peace.

Devarim 14:22-23: The Mitzvah of Giving Maaser

These two pesukim sit at the heart of parshas Re’eh. The Torah is speaking to a nation about to enter Eretz Yisrael, about to plant fields and build homes and earn a living for the first time as a free people. Before any of that begins, Hashem says: remember where it comes from. Set aside a tenth. The Gemara (Taanis 9a) derives from the doubled language of “aseir t’aseir” a remarkable promise: give your tenth, and Hashem will make you wealthy. The Tosafos explain that this is the one area where the Torah actually permits us to test Hashem, as the navi Malachi (3:10) says: “Test Me in this.” In the area of ma’aser, unlike other mitzvos, the Torah / nevi’im explicitly allow a person to give properly and then see whether Hashem sends the promised abundance.

The Words To Hold On To

Aseir t’aseir “You shall surely tithe”

The Torah doubles the word. Not just “tithe,” but “you shall surely tithe.” Chazal in Taanis 9a read it as aseir bishvil shetitasher — tithe so that you may become wealthy. And the Gemara does not leave that as a passing wordplay. It goes on to say that although one may not generally test Hashem, in the matter of maaser this is the exception, based on Malachi 3:10: “Test Me now with this … if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out blessing beyond measure.” This is one of the rare places where Torah speaks in the language of an explicit promise. If giving feels frightening, the answer here is not only that the money is not lost. It is that Hashem attached brachah to this mitzvah and told a person to trust Him with it, and he will merit an abundance of brachah from Hashem.

Kol t’vuas zarecho “All the produce of your seed”

The Torah says “all.” Not part. Not the extra. Everything that your work produces. The Rema (Yoreh De’ah 249:1) records the custom to give maaser from monetary income, not only agricultural produce. When you sit down to calculate your tenth today, from your salary, your business profits, your investments, you are doing the same thing a farmer in Eretz Yisrael did three thousand years ago. You are looking at everything Hashem gave you and saying: a tenth of this belongs to something bigger than me.

L’ma’an tilmad l’yiroh “So that you may learn to fear”

This is the reason the Torah gives for tithing. Not “so that the poor will eat,” though of course they will. Not “so that Torah will be learned,” though of course it will be. The Torah says: so that you will learn yiras Shamayim. Giving away a tenth of your income changes something inside you. It loosens the grip that money has on the heart. It teaches you, month after month, that Hashem is the source and you are the channel. That is what yirah means here. Not fear as in dread, but awe. The recognition that your parnassah is not really yours.

Shonoh shonoh “Year by year”

The Torah repeats “year” twice. Tithing is not a one-time act of generosity when things are going well. It is a rhythm, a structure, something you build into the way you live. Good year, give your tenth. Harder year, give your tenth. The consistency is the point. The Chofetz Chaim writes that a person who gives consistently builds a pipeline of brachah that does not stop flowing. When you set up your giving as a steady practice, not waiting for the mood to strike, you are telling Hashem: I trust You not just today, but every year.

How to Give Maaser in Practice

Set your kavanah before you begin. Think about the specific income you are tithing. Let it register that this money passed through your hands because Hashem chose to send it your way. Your tithe is not just numbers on a page. It is a mitzvah and an act of emunah.

The main thing is the giving itself. You are not giving because of a feeling, a custom, or a segulah alone. You are giving because Hashem commanded us to support those in need. If saying these pesukim helps you give with more focus and sincerity, you may say them. But the mitzvah is fulfilled through the actual tzedakah.

Halachah also teaches that there are laws of priority in tzedakah. A person must give with thought and responsibility. Those closest to your obligation come first, such as needy family members. From there, the circle widens to other relatives, local poor, and broader communal needs. Many people also make a point of helping poor families in Eretz Yisrael as part of their tzedakah.

Tefillah and tzedakah are deeply connected. When you say these words and then actually give, you are turning your thoughts toward Hashem and putting your emunah into action. Giving to Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities in the zechus of the great Tanna is asking Hashem to hear your tefillah in the merit of this tzaddik and your own act of chesed. After saying these pesukim, some also add: Elokah d’Meir aneni.

Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness

The Gemara (Avodah Zarah 18a-18b) tells us that Rabbi Meir Baal Haness sister-in-law was held captive by the Romans. The situation seemed impossible. Rabbi Meir went to bribe the prison guard, and when he was afraid of the consequences of releasing her, Rabbi Meir taught him to say “Elokah d’Meir aneni” and he would be protected. Through these words, miracles were performed. When we daven to Hashem with these powerful words, we are asking Hashem to answer our plea in the zechus of this great tzaddik who merited miracles.

When you give tzedakah through Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities, you are connecting your act of tithing to the zechus of one of the greatest Tannaim. You are asking Hashem to hear your tefillah in the combined merit of this tzaddik and your own generosity. Generations of Yidden have given in his zechus at moments when parnassah felt uncertain and brachah felt far away.

Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities was founded in 1799. The scholars at the kever of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias daven for those who reach out to them. The charity supports Torah scholars and the poor in Eretz Yisrael. When you direct your giving there, you are keeping alive a tradition of giving that stretches back centuries.

Give Tzedakah in the Zechus of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness

Living Maaser Every Day

Maaser works best when you build a system around it. The first step is knowing your numbers. If you earn a salary, many people calculate maaser on the income that remains after direct taxes. If you run a business, maaser is generally calculated on profit after legitimate business expenses, not on gross revenue. Sit down once a month or once a quarter, write down what came in, and calculate ten percent. For the exact rules in your case, ask a rav.

Open a separate bank account or use a simple spreadsheet to track your giving. This removes the guesswork and the guilt. You are not scrambling to remember what you gave or wondering if you gave enough. Everything is clear.

Ten percent is the standard measure of maaser. Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 249:1 describes one-fifth as a higher level for those who are able to give more. Start at ten percent. If Hashem blesses you further, you can grow into chomesh over time.

If you are not sure where to direct your giving, speak to a rav. Helping needy relatives, supporting Torah causes, assisting a neighbor who lost a job, and helping struggling families in Eretz Yisrael can all be valid uses of maaser. Using maaser for your own child’s yeshiva tuition is more complex and should be asked case by case. A financial advisor who understands halachah can also help you structure larger giving in a tax-efficient way. The practical side matters. Hashem gave you sechel alongside the mitzvah.

A Blessing for Your Giving

When a Yid feels the pull to give back from what Hashem has placed in his hands, that itself is a brachah. The desire to give properly, to fulfill the mitzvah of tzedakah the way it ought to be done, is a sign that one’s neshamah is awake and attuned to its purpose.

May Hashem continue to bless the work of your hands. May your parnassah grow, not so that you can hold onto more, but so that you can give more. May the tenth you set aside open gates of brachah you did not know existed. May you never feel the tightness of scarcity, and may your children learn from watching you that giving is not losing. And may you always have the clarity to see that everything you have was placed in your hands by the One who owns it all.

You can submit a prayer request to the scholars at the kever of Rabbi Meir in Tiberias at no cost, they will daven for you through Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities. And if you would like to give tzedakah in Rabbi Meir’s zechus as well, your kindness will rise together with your prayer.

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