A question I received: What is the spiritual meaning of tithing (Maaser)?

My Answer: The tithe is the separation of the tenth part of Malchut. The Torah instructs us to set aside the parts which instead of being used for the sake of bestowal directly can only be used through society. This calculation is performed only with regard to the Creator, for the sake of bestowal to Him.

The Torah describes many types of taxes, but all of them are based on one principle: Because I am unable to bestow with certain desires that I have within me and the Light that comes to me, I pass these desires to the general desire (Kli). In a common desire, through a society, I’m able to carry this out.

My Kli is partial, meaning that for the time being, the screen covers only a part of my desires, in which I’m ready to receive for the sake of bestowal. How can I correct the part in which I’m incapable of bestowing?

I receive the Light for that part and transfer the desire to receive pleasure along with the received Light to an outside Kli. Thereby I prepare it for correction. By not using Maaser today (the tenth part of Malchut, which cannot be corrected), I prepare this part for correction through society.

In the science of Kabbalah, we study our desires called “garments” and “house.” They become corrected by my first seeing them as external to me, and then transferring them to my internality.

The same applies to Maaser. I seemingly transfer it for external usage, but then it becomes my internality and returns to me with the desires I did not previously consider my own. For the time being, in my sensations, I cannot correct that part in order to use it, by receiving for the sake of bestowal.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/28/10, The Zohar

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A question I received: To give a tithe or Masser, one needs to be employed or have an income. This is where the problems arise. I observe many 10 hour working days, I sleep 7 or 8 hours, and the rest of the time, 6 hours or so, I spend eating, doing chores around home, and spending time with my family. It does not seem to leave much time for any spiritual pursuits.

In a way society has us trapped. Big homes and fancy cars all play a role in taking up the time that we have. Also, some choose to tithe to religious organizations so they can build bigger edifices than the other churches down the street, and pay big salaries and perks to the leaders.

How does one trust, or know in his heart that this Masser is indeed a Law of Nature, and is just and not contrived?

My Answer: Living according to the laws of one’s society and paying the Maaser for the spiritual correction of humanity is a law, while donating is not.

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Questions I received on the Maaser:

Question: Is it possible to cross the Machsom without paying Maaser?

My Answer: No.

Question: Do we correct ourselves during the initial period of study, when we do not contribute the Maaser?

My Answer: Yes, but only at your first preparatory stage. Kabbalists never accepted students who refused to follow this condition. After all, no matter how much a person tries, Malchut, the tenth Sefira, becomes corrected only when a person gives away to others one tenth of what belongs to him.

Question: Do new students who are in their first year of studies also need to give the Maaser? When should a person begin to pay the Maaser?

My Answer: One should begin to pay the Maaser when he begins to understand that he desires spiritual development. A person will not advance without making efforts. Maaser is the tenth part of the desire, which can only be corrected this way, by being given away.

Question: I have a question about the Maaser. I am a 13 year-old boy who is studying Kabbalah at your center. I do not yet earn any money and I cannot ask my mother to pay the Maaser because she does not study Kabbalah. Besides, my mother has no job. What is the solution for someone who cannot pay the Maaser? I support the center by disseminating, but the problem is, I cannot pay the Maaser because I cannot afford to.

My Answer: Only a person with his own personal income is obligated to pay Maaser. Whoever does not have a personal income has no right to pay it.

Question: If I give away 10% of my income for the dissemination of Kabbalah, will I go hungry?

My Answer: Well, have you ever really tried it?

Question: Can a person who lacks financial resources study Kabbalah?

My Answer: The study of Kabbalah is not contingent on any financial investments. All of our study materials are available on our website for everyone free of charge!

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Questions I received on Maaser:

Question: Can we advance spiritually if we don’t pay a tithe (Maaser)?

My Answer: No.

Question cont’d: I bought the book Kabbalah for the Student and printed “The Introduction to The Book Of Zohar” from it myself. Is this considered as a tithe?

My Answer: No.

Question cont’d: With the obligation of paying the tithe, many people will be turned off to Kabbalah and this will not be a solution for them. At first they engage in Kabbalah with all of their desire, and after a while they understand that they have to pay Maaser in order to advance spiritually. I wonder, if a person is already above the Machsom, will he also be obliged to pay Maaser in order to attain the whole goal?

My Answer: Yes.

Question cont’d: Even on the last 125th degree of the ladder?

My Answer: Yes.

Question cont’d: But the poor won’t be able to advance even a millimeter.

My Answer: If they’re poor, their Maaser is also small, accordingly.

Question cont’d: I am very disappointed that one has to pay to attain spirituality. The Maaser has to be removed because it is a limitation to attaining the so called “new civilization.”

My Answer: Maaser is a law of nature, and no one can remove it. You are not paying anyone; you are merely deducting the part of you that is impossible to correct and giving it to the world’s correction through a different method. You are realizing your own Maaser for disseminating Kabbalah around you. You should read about it (you can also look it up on Google.com).

The Maaser is 10% of your desires, which pertain to Malchut and which you are incapable of correcting on your own. You can only separate a tenth of your income, which corresponds to them. Otherwise your soul will not be corrected; however, it’s not corrected by the money, but by your rejection of it. This is why you are able spend this money on all kinds of empty objects, but find it practically impossible to spend it on Maaser!

Question: I understand that we are to pay 10% of our net/gross income as our Maaser. Where do we make the contribution? Are we to do it once a month according to our monthly income or can we do it bi-weekly with our pay cycle? Are you saying that, if we do not participate in the Maaser, we will still advance spiritually, but we will hinder the whole from advancing quicker?

My Answer: You should look for the answer in previous posts on this topic.

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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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