Someone gave me 790 shekels as a gift, to be used to buy a specific product in a specific store. This was after I had already found out about the price, and the amount was exact. I thought about the fact that I now had a sum that had come to me from an external source, and I could not ignore the fact that this was simply an income, and incoming money requires ma’aser. On the other hand, I thought, this was an exact sum that I had received for a specific purpose. Did I really have to take off a tenth of it?
I did not ask a Rav; I decided for myself to go beyond the letter of the law, and I took out 80 shekels and gave them to tzedakah as ma’aser money.
I went to the store, took the item I wanted, and went over to the counter to pay. “Seven hundred!” the seller said.
“Seven hundred? Are you sure?!” I asked, simultaneously checking whether I had chosen the right item.
“How much do you think it’s supposed to cost?” the seller asked with a smile.
“I recall the price being 790,” I told him.
“And what do you care if you get a discount?” he asked, his smile widening even more.
Indeed, I did not mind. I paid the amount and thanked Hashem for the special hashgachah pratis. I went beyond the letter of the law to give ma’aser, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu responded in kind, giving me a discount, and even ten shekels change.
