Tagged Questions

1
vote
1answer
46 views

Mitzva of Tzedaka for Pikuach Nefesh

Let's say one has a relative/parent who needs a life saving operation but does not have the financial means to pay for it or even get a loan, is one required to sell his property to help them?
2
votes
0answers
50 views

What if the Gabbai Tzedakah runs away?

Suppose a Gabbai Tzedakah passes our good friend Reuven while making his collection rounds. Reuven reaches into his pocket for his wallet and removes the money he wants to donate. By the time Reuven ...
2
votes
0answers
34 views

Can pledged cash be exchanged for other cash?

Authorities like the Or Zaru'a have been so stringent as to say that even mental pledges are binding when it comes to gifts to the poor. Many less extreme opinions hold that verbal pledges of the same ...
8
votes
2answers
85 views

Is it still tzedakah if it is returned?

If a poor person asks for charity and I give some money to that person, but he then returns it to me, (because he doesn't feel it is enough, or any other reason) have I accomplished the mitzvah of ...
3
votes
1answer
82 views

Is tzedakah money fungible if someone gives to me to give to another?

The discussion in this question seems to indicate that my own tzedakah money is fungible; I can collect coins in a tzedakah box and exchange them for other currency when it's time to make the ...
10
votes
1answer
88 views

Can one take any money offered to him?

Is a tzedaka allowed to take money from people who earn their money in inappropriate way (say, the person worked on Shabbos, stole, cheated, etc.) If not, is this a chumra or a halacha? Please ...
3
votes
1answer
39 views

Maaser on Selling Previously Purchased Items

Many times people buy things and then later resell them. Assuming no profit was made in this sale, is there an obligation to give Maaser on the newly acquired money? Practical examples: eBay, college ...
17
votes
1answer
148 views

What do you do if you made a Tzedaka pledge and now the organization folded?

Recently a friend of mine asked me the following question. He pledged $500- to a Yeshiva, yet before he paid the pledge the Yeshiva closed. Does he still have to pay his pledge to another Tzedaka or ...
4
votes
2answers
117 views

Can donating to a Gemach be ribbis?

Suppose that Reuven is strapped for cash. He goes to the local Gemach and gets a hefty $10,000 dollar loan for his daughter's wedding. 3 months later, Reuven manages to acquire the money and repays ...
11
votes
2answers
274 views

Giving Tzedakah with a Credit Card

If one gives a donation to a charity by using a credit card, the charity will only end up getting a percentage of the actual funds (e.g. 98%). In such a case, does the person giving get "credit" for ...
4
votes
1answer
79 views

What conditions must be met in order for voluntarily forgone income to count as tzedakah?

Suppose one has done work of some value for a charitable organization in exchange for money. This organization would normally qualify as a destination for tzedakah, and perhaps you have also given ...
11
votes
3answers
197 views

Ma'aser kesafim on capital appreciation

If you own property (e.g. stocks or real estate) that increase in value over the course of the year, are you require to donate 10% of the increase to tzedaka, if you are merely holding on to the ...
1
vote
5answers
102 views

How do you get your money from your home tzedaka box to your favorite charity?

Okay now I have this tzedaka box sitting in my living room and it's full of coins and crumpled bills. How do I give that to my favorite charity? Or any charity?
8
votes
1answer
165 views

If you use money for kaparos pre-yom kipur, is it fungible or must those bills go directly to tzedaka?

When we do Kaparos, we say "this money shall go to charity" -- so I put that dollar bill in the tzedaka box; is it okay if a few days from now I count what's in my tzedaka box, write a check for the ...