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From: teitz@aecom.UUCP (Eliyahu Teitz)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Charity
Message-ID: <1227@aecom.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 11-Mar-85 14:59:46 EST
Article-I.D.: aecom.1227
Posted: Mon Mar 11 14:59:46 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Mar-85 03:25:24 EST
References: <695@whuxlm.UUCP> <1282@akgua.UUCP> <894@cbdkc1.UUCP>
Organization: Albert Einstein Coll. of Med., NY
Lines: 31

> 
> In biblical times, the Levis were assigned the role of operating
> the tabernacle and, later, the temple.  They were not allocated
> any land, and so received what we might today call taxes for
> sacrifices to G-d, to pay for the costs of operation and
> for their own subsistance.  There is no temple today, and there
> are no sacrifices to G-d.  And so there is no longer any such practice
> as "collecting taxes to give to G-d."

	One point. The Cohanim, priests, were in charge of the Tabernacle and
 Temple, not the levi'im. The Levi'im also did not have an allocation of land,
 and they too worked in the Temple, but the primary control was in the hands of
 the priests. 


> As I said above, tzedakah is not only money, but also deeds.  What I
> don't know is if there is any minimum or maximum amount required.
> I know that insultingly small gifts are prohibited since they are
> insulting.  And excessively large gifts or deeds that would wear
> out the giver, or make him unable to give at least as much
> this year as last year, are also wrong.

	The Talmud, and halacha discusses different amounts, the standard being
 10% and a maximum of 20%. The G'mara in many places discusses how much a
 person should spend on any given mitzva, not only charity, and it says a 
 person should spend no more than 1/5 ( 20% ) of his money on any one mitzva.

				Eliyahu Teitzu


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