Q&A: Tithing Money in a Social-Democratic State
Tithing Money in a Social-Democratic State
Question
Hello Honorable Rabbi,
Regarding tithing money:
It is well known that there is an idea of giving a tenth of one’s money, and the halakhic decisors discuss at length the level of obligation and the order of priority in choosing recipients.
It seems to me that today the situation is different.
Today each of us “contributes” to the state against his will through taxes, whether directly (income tax) or indirectly (VAT).
The state distributes the money for various purposes, including some that fall under legitimate purposes in Jewish law: kollel stipends, various welfare budgets, medical care, as well as other worthy public purposes.
Why shouldn’t we say that when I pay the tax imposed on me, I am thereby paying my halakhic obligation? (One could calculate proportionally how much of the tax imposed on me goes to legitimate purposes, and if necessary I would make up the difference until reaching the amount of the tithe.)
Of course, in the time of the Sages they did not address this, since in their time the state did not budget for such purposes.
Am I correct?
Answer
This is not a simple question, since it is commonly accepted that mandatory payments should not be counted as tithing (that is, payments that do not depend on you). Still, plainly speaking, the intention is not to obligatory charity as such (for example, if there are charity collectors who take charity from you by force of community decisions, it is reasonable that this could indeed count toward the tithe). And indeed, there are halakhic decisors who wrote that tax counts for purposes of tithing, and some of them say this regarding all of our taxes, not only the part that goes to welfare and relief. The reason is that public needs are considered charity in Jewish law. In any case, at least regarding deducting the portion that goes to welfare and relief, there is certainly reliance to be placed on recognized authorities.
Discussion on Answer
An interesting reasoning, and perhaps there is really something to it. But one should remember that at least some halakhic decisors wrote this even about charity collected by charity administrators. That is no longer something imposed from above, as by a king.
As for your question at the end, in my opinion it does not depend at all on support or lack of support. If it is paid in his name, then he gave charity.
Hello Rabbi.
You express reservation about being exempted from tithing money because of tax payments, because this is a “mandatory payment,” in your words.
In my opinion, in a democratic state paying taxes is mandatory at the “micro” level, but not at the “macro” level.
That is, true, I personally cannot decide to expand or reduce the tax rate, but as part of a “collective entity”—I can.
The people, through their representatives in the Knesset, can decide that they do not want to provide disability and unemployment allowances, or to fund yeshivas.
The public as a collective supports these allowances, and therefore these payments are not forced upon it.
This is not similar to taxes that were imposed on the public in the past, which were forced on it “from above.”
Therefore I think that, as part of a group that chose to provide allowances to those of limited means, I am exempt from giving a “tithe.”
What do you think?
If you agree with me, I would ask about a person who personally does not support allowances—does the very fact that he supports the democratic rules of the game mean that he indirectly also supports giving the allowances that were determined through those rules.