Page 88 - haggadah_2017.pub

Other Important Halachot of Pesach

Maot Chitim/Charity ‐ Rabbi Asher Block

".....and whatever You give me I shall repeatedly tithe to you" (Breishit 28:22)

There is a well known ruling of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein regarding the mitzvah of Ma'aser. In addition to giving
a tenth of one's financial earnings towards Ma'aser, one who is knowledgeable in Torah should also dedicate
10% of their learning time to share of Torah with others. Rabbi Feinstein, however, does not state a clear proof
to the amount of 10% but rather says that this imperative is logical.

Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch in his commentary on Chumash entitled Ta'am V'Daat, writes that this ruling is allud-
ed to in the verse above. Yaakov vows that if Hashem protects him during his flight from Esav, from whatever
is given to me, a tenth will be given to Him. Implicit in this inclusionary vow is not only the physical sustenance
that Yaakov will receive or earn, but also all the spiritual talent that Yaakov had amassed from his years of To-
rah learning in the tents of Shem and Ever, will be tithed for Hashem. A portion of Yaakov’s talents would be
harnessed and channeled toward the sharing of his learning with others thirsty to drink from the wellsprings of
Torah knowledge.

In Jewish communities across the globe, many have the custom of donating funds to help enable those less for-
tunate prepare for Pesach with honor and dignity. This custom is famously known as Maot Chitim. Perhaps
during this season of giving, in addition to giving of our financial resources, let us also resolve to donate from
our precious time to help inspire and uplift fellow Jews in our communities by sharing with them the timeless
lessons of our Torah.

Liel Vaknin—4th Grade