Mr. Solovitch then quotes another source:
>The obligation to perform tzedakah can be fulfilled by giving money to the
>poor, to health care institutions, to synagogues or to educational
>institutions. It can also be fulfilled by supporting your children beyond
>the age when you are legally required to, or supporting your parents in
>their old age. The obligation includes giving to both Jews and gentiles;
>contrary to popular belief, Jews do not just "take care of our own."
In the days of the First and Second Commonwealths the ten-percent tithe was
the equivalent of a tax. There were no other taxes then whereas now we pay
over 25 percent of our income in taxes. For folks sending children to
yeshivas, at roughly $5000 per year per child, their is an added burden that,
for many is insurmountable.
As treasurer of a shul I object to the contention that one's dues are
primarily for himself. There is tremendous synergy in the synagogue
community so that the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts; just
as the spiritual benefits of a minyan are incalculably greater than ten
times the benefit of private prayer. If an individual were to spend the
dues for personal religious purposes he would not be able to obtain a small
fraction of what a shul provides. This is recognized in the final Y'kum
Poorkan paragraph that recognizes those <<who dedicate synagogues for
worship ..., who provide lamps for lighting and wine for Kiddush and
Havdalah and those who give food to transient guests and charity to the
poor, as well as those who faithfully occupy themselves with the needs of
the community.>>
Logic would imply that giving ten percent after taxes, *including synagogue
dues*, should be more than adequate. Unfortunately, most give far less.
Leonard Mansky (Len613@aol.com)