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Are there any detailed recommendations from chachamim how to distribute tzedakah percentage wise (how many percent to pikuach nefesh, Torah insitutions/talmidim, how many to poor people, etc.)? I'm asking how to divide up the 10% (or up to 20%), not about how much to give total.

There is a lot of information about priorities but I couldn't find exact percentages.

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  • related (not the same) – msh210♦ Apr 20 at 21:49
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    Why would you expect that there would be an agreement on this subject? Different people have different conditions and surroundings and priorities. As for now, this question is open for personal interpretation. – Al Berko Apr 21 at 12:22
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    Listening to a religious radio station for half an hour (like קול חי in Israel 93fm.co.il) will show how every single advertiser (using important Rabbis of course) proves that his business is currently the most important Mitzvah to put one's money on, be it Mikvaos or building a shul or helping widows or single IDF soldiers etc. :) – Al Berko Apr 21 at 12:26
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There are no exact proportions in tzedaka and you can/should follow your heart. But there are certain guidelines indeed.

R Hershel Schachter brings the following (from an interview in Jewish Action here)

The question is what does “precedence” mean? Does it mean you give everything to the poor people in your family? The commentaries assume that this is not the case. The Chatam Sofer (II: 233-234) writes that you give half of your tzedakah money to family and divide the other half among other poor people.

He mentions other poskim adjust the split of the tzedaka budget going to those with precedence: Aruch Hashulchan: 51%, Chochmat Adam and R Moshe Feinstein 67%, Pitchei Tshuva 75%.

Here is an example following [the 67% opinion]: Assuming I have $1,000 to give to tzedakah, if I have a relative who needs $667, I give it to him. The maximum is $667; but if he needs less, I give him less. Once my relatives are taken care of within the amount of $667, I give up to two-thirds of the remaining money to needy neighbors. And of the remaining money, I similarly give up to two-thirds to aniyei ircha. And so on, through the list of priorities.

For more sources and details on priorities, see here.

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    That's really interesting - mathematical progression by priorities, thank you:) – Dan Weisberg Apr 21 at 17:17

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