말라기 3:10의 Halakhah

“Bring ye the whole tithe into the storehouse etc.… And try Me now herewith” (Mal. 3:10). So important is tithing, that here the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Try Me,” unlike all other instances where it is forbidden to test Him, for it is written “Ye shall not try the Lord your God” (Deut. 6:16).¹Taanith 9a. That tithe alluded to is the poor man’s tithe, to give to the poor a tithe from everything wherein a person profits, whether from interest or his own hire or from anything which comes to a person profitably. If he found or they returned to him goods stolen from him,²Valuables that he had given up for lost. he must tithe, as it is written in Scripture.³The words “whole tithe” is taken to imply all sorts of revenue accruing from all sources, foreseen and unforeseen. (Perush.) For Israel had not yet been among the nations of the world lending at interest.⁴The Bible does not mention income from interest since it was then not prevalent. Woe unto them that withhold their tithes, for ultimately nothing will remain in their hands but the poor man’s tithe, as it is written, “And everyman’s hallowed things shall be his” (Num. 5:10).⁵Berakoth 63a.

Charity prevents threatened punishment from Heaven, and in famine it delivereth from death, as in the story of the widow of Zarephath.¹I Kings 17.

It is from the roots of the commandment [that] since God, may He be blessed, chose the tribe of Levi from among his brothers for his service in the Temple always, therefore it was from His kindness to them to give them their sustenance in an honorable way. As so is it proper for the servants of the King that their meals should be readied for them by others - that they should prepare it for them and that [the Levites] should not have to toil in anything besides the precious service of the King. And even though they were twelve tribes - and according to their equal portion, it would have been fitting that they take one twelfth part - this advantage to them is also for their glory. As since they are from the house of the King, it is fitting that their portion be more than all [the rest] of them. And it is a big advantage that the tenth part come to them free from all of the expenses of the land. And the blessing of God, may He be blessed, rests upon everything that belongs to the one who sustains the servants of God with his money. And this is what they, may their memory be blessed, said (Mishnah Avot 3:13), "Tithes are a safeguarding fence around wealth." They, may their memory be blessed, also said (Taanit 9a) that it is forbidden for a person to think in his heart and say, "I will test if God does good to me [for] my involvement in His commandments"; and about that which is similar to this is it stated (Deuteronomy 6:16), "Do not test the Lord, your God" - except for in this commandment. As it is permitted to test if God will bless him [for] his doing it and [for] his being alacritous about it. And it is made explicit by the prophets, as it is stated (Malachi 3:10), "Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse, etc. and put Me to the test with it, said the Lord."

And likewise included in this commandment is not to do the commandments of God, blessed be He, by way of testing, such that a person do a commandment to test whether God, may He be blessed, will reward him in His righteousness; and not from his love of God and his fear of Him. And let it not be difficult to you that which they, may their memory be blessed, said in the first chapter of Tractate Taanit 9a, "'A tithe shall you tithe (te'aser)' (Deuteronomy 14:22)? Take a tithe (asser) so that you will become wealthy (titasher)." As they have already answered it there and said that in all the commandments is it stated, "Do not test," except in this [one] of tithes, as it is stated (Malachi 3:10), "Bring the whole tithe into the storeroom,[...] and test Me now by this, etc." And the reason for this is like the matter that is written (Proverbs 19:17), "He is lending to God, he who is gracious to the poor" - meaning to say that God, may He be blessed, has informed us that it is through our financing the servants of His house with tithes that purpose and blessing is found in our money, no matter what, and [that] no matter of sin or iniquity will impinge on it. And the reason for the prohibition of testing about the commandments is because the reward for the commandments is not in this world; and as they expounded in Tractate Avodah Zarah 3a, "Today is the day to do them, but tomorrow" - meaning the world to come - "is [the day] to take their reward." And [about] that which they, may their memory be blessed said (Bava Batra 10b), "One who says, 'This coin is for charity in order that my son should live,' behold, he is completely righteous" - the wise commentators have answered [that it is when he decides in his heart to give it whether [his son] lives or does not live, as this is not testing God.