Three questions I received on Maaser:

Question: You wrote on your blog that one should pay Maaser from his net income. However, in one of your lessons you said that Maaser is paid from the total income before tax deductions. My question is: is it paid from the income before tax deductions or from the net income after tax deductions?

My Answer: The rule states that the Maaser is 10% of one’s gross income. Otherwise, the tenth part from your taxes does not get corrected! However, beginners get a “discount” in order to get used to the Maaser and to make the calculation easier for them.

Question: My question regards the giving of Maaser. I understand the spiritual meaning of tithing 10% of your income to disseminating Kabbalah. What is unclear to me is the method in which a person must give Maaser. For example, a person earns $400 a week working at their job (which comes down to $10 per hour). Considering how time equals money, if a person volunteers 4 hours of their time disseminating, they have given $40 worth of time. Is this a valid form of giving Maaser?

My Answer: It is written that a person has to separate a tithe (10%) from all of his income.

Question: I am retired. My husband, who is not “on the path,” still works and we live on the money he earns. I participate in dissemination whereas his main interest is football. We don’t spend money on entertainment, other than going on vacation once a year. How should I calculate the Maaser?

My Answer: It is 10% of your pension. For example, you can make an arrangement with the Bnei Baruch dissemination center to buy our newspapers or books, and then hand them out or distribute them to libraries.

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Questions I received on Maaser:

Question: What should I do if I want to pay Maaser (a 10th of my salary), but my wife is against it because she doesn’t study Kabbalah?

My Answer: If she did study Kabbalah, then she wouldn’t be against it. She would pay it herself and would even force you to do the same. So decide for yourself, and keep in mind that there is no spiritual advancement without separating the 10%.

Question: Whose money supports the Kabbalah Academy?

My Answer: Only the Maaser that’s collected from the Bnei Baruch members – and no external donations!

Question: I was wondering, if I get the Maaser back from taxes at the end of the year (because I described it as charity or donations) will it count spiritually? Because at the end, I didn’t give anything at all because I get it back!

My Answer: You have to give everything you get back to the group’s fund, as the government Maaser.

Question: I am an Ari-Online student and I also watch morning lessons on kab.tv (the beginner’s part). My question is short. How it is possible that we, Bnei Baruch, have different criteria about the same thing ? I am talking about Maaser.

I was watching the morning lesson on 08-12-2008 where you explain that Maaser is 10% of the income before taxes. After that I opened the Maaser webpage and read this:
“Maaser is 10% of one’s net income, after tax deduction“! I do not understand this discrepancy.

My Answer: The Maaser must be paid from the total income – you can find explanations of this on the Internet by doing a Google search of “tithe.” However, in our times, in order to avoid confusing our friends, to simplify their calculations and payment, we say that they can pay from the net income. I understand that this is confusing, but you shouldn’t get so upset about it. We take the responsibility for whatever you underpay because of our instructions.

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