Maaser Creates Wealth

עַשֵ ּׂר תְ ּעַשֵ ּׂר אֵ ת כָּל תְ ּבּואַ ת זַרְ עֶָך וגו' (יד, כב)

You shall take off a tenth of all your crops… (14:22)

The Gemara (Tainis 9B) states: "Aser te'aser...Give ma'aser so that you will become rich." Tosafos quotes the Sifri that says: "'You shall take off a tenth from all of the crops of your field.' We only see that one needs to give maaser on crops. How do we know that one must also give from business and all other profits? This is learned from the word 'all' (kol). It could have said to give 'from your crops'. Why does it say 'all of your crops'? This is meant to include all profits."

We see from this that one also gets the guarantee that he will become wealthy if he gives maaser kesafim.

This is also seen from the Medrash Tanchuma (18) that states: "'Aser t'aser.' Give maaser so that you will become wealthy. Give maaser so that you will not lose out. This is a hint that those who travel by sea (businessmen) should give one-tenth of their profits to those who toil in Torah."

It Is Permitted to Test Hashem:

The Gemara continues to say: "If you give maaser, you will become rich...Is it permitted to test Hashem? Doesn't the pasuk say (Devarim 6:16) that one is not allowed to test Hashem? Rav Hoshea said that this is the exception to that rule. This is seen from the pasuk (Malachi 3:10) that says: 'Bring all the maaser into the treasury so that there may be food in My House, and test Me now with this, says Hashem, to see if I will not open for you the windows of Heaven and pour down for you blessing until it is more than enough.'"

This too does not only apply to maaser given from crops. It also applies to maaser kesafim. This is seen from the Rema (Yoreh Deah 247:4), who writes that one may test Hashem with maaser kesafim.

The Entire Harvest is Considered Maaser:

The Kedushas Levi explains the Gemara's statement that maaser creates wealth by stating that when a person gives tzedakah, the money ascends to the Heavens. For example, if one gives one coin to charity, it rises to the Heavens, where it is noted that he gave one coin as maaser because he had 10 coins. Thus, all 10 coins are part of the mitzvah, as it was only performed because the man was given 10 coins.

Since this person performed a mitzvah with 10 coins, he is rewarded with the ability to give 10 coins to maaser during the next year – meaning that he is given 100 coins. Thus, one becomes wealthy by giving maaser.

With this in mind, he translates the Gemara's words "aser bisvhil shetisaser" to mean "give one-tenth of your crop as maaser, so that the full amount of your harvest of this year will be the amount of your maaser next year."

Emunah Creates Wealth:

The Vitebsker Rebbe zy"a (Sefer Pri Ha'aretz) writes that emunah is also part of the segulah to attain wealth through giving maaser. He explains that when one gives tzedakah with the belief that it will earn him a yeshua, he is expressing genuine emunah that Hashem will help him, and this emunah arouses Divine mercy. He adds that since the person shows how much he desires to do the mitzvah of giving tzedakah, Hashem rewards him by giving him enough wealth to continue doing this mitzvah.

The Benefit of Wealth that Comes From Maaser:

Yalkut Me'am Loaiz explains the statement that one may test Hashem with maaser by citing the various words of Chazal regarding things that create wealth. One example is that Chazal say (Yalkut Shimoni 848): "One who wants to get rich should work with small animals." In another place, Chazal say that marrying one's son off to a daughter of a kohen causes one to become wealthy.

Since Chazal tell us that there are numerous things one can do to get rich, one may wonder why he should be so careful to give maaser. Why can't he just do one of the easier things? Such a person should know that wealth that comes through maaser has numerous benefits that wealth generated in other ways does not.

1. Other forms of wealth can be lost during troubling times, and it is possible that one will not derive enjoyment from it. Wealth that comes from giving maaser, however, will have Hashem's blessing upon it and one will definitely enjoy it.
2. Wealth that comes from giving maaser will bear dividends and increase year by year, as long as one continues to give maaser.
3. If one gets rich by working with small animals, for example, the wealth will only in the individual's flock of sheep. Wealth from maaser, however, will extend to whatever one tries his hand at.

All three benefits are hinted to in the pasuk. It says "aser t'aser", which Chazal understand to mean that one who gives maaser will become rich. It then says "from the crops of the field year by year", meaning that the blessing will manifest itself every year, which is not the case regarding other forms of wealth. It continues to say "and you and your household will rejoice", meaning that you will definitely be able to enjoy your wealth, which is also not true regarding other forms of wealth. Finally, it says "so that Hashem will bless you in all of your handiwork", meaning that everything you try will be successful and will bring wealth.

The Reward in This World and The Next:

Rav Yosef Chaim of Baghdad zt"l (Chasdei Avos 6:7) relates the story of two neighbors, Reuven and Shimon, who both became wealthy. Each of them had a different story to explain how they got rich. Shimon heard a drasha from his Rov in which he quoted the Gemara (Bava Metziah 59B) that says that if a husband honors his wife, he will become rich. He fully believed this to be true, so he bought nice clothing and jewelry for his wife. Since he had full emunah in the words of Chazal and he pushed himself to fulfill them, he was blessed with wealth as a reward.

Shimon also heard a drasha from the same Rov, but he heard him quote the Gemara that says that one who give maaser will become wealthy. He fully believed this and he took one-tenth of everything he owned and gave it to charity. As a result, he was blessed with wealth.

When Shimon saw that Reuven became wealthy without giving tzedakah, he became very puzzled. He wondered how he got rich without giving maaser. He asked Reuven about it, and Reuven told him that his wealth was the result of buying nice things for his wife. This answer caused Shimon a lot of anguish. He thought to himself: If only I had known about that segulah I could have gotten away with spending a lot less than 10% of my entire net worth, and my wife also could have benefited from the nice clothes and jewelry. Now that I gave maaser instead, it cost me a lot more and my family didn't benefit at all from all the money I gave away.

He went to discuss this with the Rov and he asked him why he didn't mention both segulos at the same time, so that the listeners could decide which one they prefer. The Rov replied, "Dovid Hamelech already answered this question!"

He opened a Sefer Tehillim and showed him the pasuk that states (49:17): "Fear not when a man becomes rich, when the honor of his house increases. For he will not take anything in his death. His glory will not descend after him." He explained this to mean that one should not envy a person who becomes rich by "increasing the honor of his house", i.e., through purchasing fancy things for his wife (as the word "house" is reference to a wife). Even though he retains ownership of the nice things he bought and his household can enjoy them, this enjoyment is not eternal. He cannot take it with when he dies. On the other hand, if one becomes rich through giving maaser, he will merit wealth in this world and will also be rewarded in the World to Come.

Learning Torah Without Losing Olam Haba:

It is stated in Sifri: "'And you shall rejoice with all of the good that Hashem your G-d gave to you. (26:11)' There is no 'good' besides for Torah. Therefore, Moshe said to give maaser." This Sifri needs explanation.

The Chasam Sofer explains by citing the verse (Devarim 33:18), "Zevulun will rejoice in his goings and Yissochor in his tents." Zevulun and Yissochor share a partnership. Yissochor does his part by sitting and learning, while Zevulun goes out to do business. They have a deal that Zevulun gives half of his earnings to Yissochor, and Yissochor gives half of the reward for his learning to Zevulun.

In this world, Zevulun may feel pained that he has to give half his money to Yissochor, but he will rejoice in Olam Haba when he gets half the reward for Yissochor's learning even though he didn't do the learning himself. Yissochor, on the other hand, will rejoice in this world, as he is able to learn Torah without having to go out and work, but he will be pained in Olam Haba when he has to give up half his reward to Zevulun.

Accordingly, the pasuk says that Zevulun will rejoice "with his goings", meaning that he will experience joy when he goes away from this world but not in this world, and Yissochor will rejoice "in his tents", meaning that he will have full joy as he sits in the tents of Torah in this world, but he won't be fully happy in Olam Haba.

This would seem to indicate that it would be better for Yissochor if he would work to support himself so that he could receive his full reward in the World to Come. However, this would be impossible, as if he spent his days working, he would not have time to immerse himself in his learning. So what can he do? The best advice for him would be to be careful with giving maaser. If he does so, he will be blessed with wealth in this world without the need to rely on the largesse of others, and he still would have enough time to devote himself to learning.

With this in mind, he explains the Sifri to mean that if one wants to truly rejoice with the "good", which is reference to Torah – meaning that he wants to receive his full reward for learning – he should do as Moshe advised. He should give maaser so that he will not have to depend on others for money and he will still be able to learn all day, and he will then be able to receive his full reward in Olam Haba.

Even 100 Times

The Vilna Gaon zt"l explains how maaser creates wealth by citing the words of Chazal in regards to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan. Chazal learn from the pasuk of "shaleach teshalach" that one can send away the mother bird and fulfill this mitzvah even 100 times. So too, they learn from the verse "nosson titein" that one should give tzedakah to a needy person even 100 times. We see from this that when a pasuk repeats a word, the intention is that one should do it many times. However, the words "aser t'aser" cannot mean that one can give maaser 100 times, as Chazal (Kesuvos 50A) say that one is not permitted to give more than one-fifth of his income to charity. If so, why is this word repeated?

The answer is that the Torah is promising that one who gives maaser will make more money, and he will then give maaser on that money. Since he gave maaser again, he will make even more money to give maaser on. Thus, he will be able to give maaser 100 times without giving more away more than one-fifth of his money, as he will constantly be granted more money from Hashem and he will always be able to give more maaser.

One Who Gives to Others Benefits Himself

The Maharal zt"l (Nesiv Hatzedakah 2) writes that maaser is "like a wellspring that waters everything around it and spreads further and further. As long as the water flows and benefits everything around it, it gets stronger and its source remains clear and pure. But if the flow is stopped and the water becomes stagnant, the source gets dirty and is no longer pure and clear."

He continues: "So too, as long as a person is allowing his money to flow to others, Hashem makes the source get stronger and he merits having his wealth remain with him. But if one stops helping others with his money, the source is no longer pure and it will get destroyed."

Wealth That Comes From Maaser Brings Satisfaction

The Imrei Emes zy"a asks why the Torah would bless someone who gives maaser with wealth. What is so great about being rich? Doesn't Shlomo Hamelech say (Mishlei 30:8): "Leadership and wealth do not give me", and (Koheles 5:12): "Wealth is set aside for its owner for his detriment"? This seems to indicate that wealth is a bad thing!

He answers that although money usually can be harmful to its owner, money earned by giving maaser cannot. Regarding this type of money, the pasuk says (Mishlei 3:10): "Bring all the maaser into the treasury so that there may be food in My House, and test Me now with this, says Hashem, to see if I will not open for you the windows of Heaven and pour down for you blessing until it is more than enough." Chazal explains (Shabbos 32B): "Until your lips become swollen from saying that it is enough." Usually, "one who has $100 wants $200", but when one gets money from giving maaser, he is satisfied with what he has and says that it is enough.

Wealth that Saves From Harm:

The Imrei Emes further writes that the pasuk that says that "wealth is set aside for its owner for his detriment" seems to be saying that having too much money can be harmful, as was seen by the story of Korach. The Rishonim, however, explain the words to mean that wealth can save its owner "from his detriment". In other words, if one uses his wealth properly, by giving it to tzedakah and for mitzvos, it can save him from harm.

Esav Wanted to Give Maaser so That He Would be Wealthy:

The Medrash (Tanchuma, Toldos 8) says that Esav fooled his father, Yitzchok, into thinking he was pious by asking him if he is obligated to give maaser on salt. The Satmar Rov zy"a (Divrei Yoel, Parshas Ki Savo) explains why Esav specifically used the mitzvah of maaser to fool his father by saying that Esav knew that maaser creates wealth. Since he had to act piously in regards to one mitzvah in order to fool his father, he chose the mitzvah that would make him wealthy.

Wealth from Maaser Creates Kedusha and Yiras Shomayim

The Satmar Rov zy"a (Divrei Yoel, Parshas Reeh) explains the promise that one will become wealthy if he gives maaser by citing the words of his father, the Kedushas Yomtov, in the name of Sefer Arvei Nachal, who says as follows:

It is known that "the challenge of wealth is worse than the challenge of poverty." However, this is only true when speaking of wealth that one acquires in "natural" ways or as a result of his mazal. This type of wealth can easily affect a person's character and lead him astray. However, if someone is rewarded with wealth by directly from Hashem, this type of riches will not negatively affect him. Regarding such wealth, it is stated (Mishlei 10:22): "The blessing of Hashem it will not bring sadness ('etzev') with it."

We see from this that money from Hashem is blessed, while money earned in other ways is detrimental to a person. Therefore, one should be exceedingly careful to ensure that all of his wealth only comes from pure sources.

When the Torah says that one should give maaser in order to become wealthy, it is giving good advice. It is saying that if one wants wealth that will not negatively affect him, he should not try to earn money in "natural" ways and he should not rely on his mazal. Rather, he should give maaser and thereby earn blessed money that will not harm him in any way.

For this reason, the verse continues to say: "So that you will learn to fear Hashem your G-d." The reason one should try to earn his money in this way is so that he should not be negatively affected by his wealth and he should continue to fear Hashem and to be on a high level of ruchnius.

Wealth from Maaser Leads to Torah L'Shma:

The Chasam Sofer (Toras Moshe) writes that it is impossible for a poor person to learn Torah l'shma. Rather, he has to use his learning as a means to get paid for it or to get people to support him. Therefore, Hashem promises wealth to anyone who gives maaser, so that a poor man has the ability to become rich and no longer be dependent on others, and he can now learn Torah l'shma.

Thus, the pasuk continues to say "in order for you to learn to fear Hashem." When one gives maaser, he will be able to learn with yiras Shomayim – meaning that he will be able to learn l'shma, as he will not have to use his learning as a means of being supported by others.

One Who Gives a Chomesh Will Become Wealthy:

It is related (Keser Rosh, Siman 123) that Rav Chaim of Volozhin zt"l said in the name of his rebbi, the Vilna Gaon zy"a, that anyone who gives a maaser (a tenth) of their money to tzedakah will be protected from all harm, and anyone who gives a chomesh (a fifth) of their income to tzedakah is guaranteed to become wealthy. He concludes by adding that if everyone would give maaser, we would see fulfilment of the verse (15:4) that there would no longer be any poor people.