Misᵊrad ha-Otzar

(Treasury (Finance) Ministry

[Updated: 2023.09.18] 

Widow's mite (copper, actual size)

Be a good steward or the resources with which י--ה has entrusted to your management by minimizing the bite taken out of your מַעַשׂרוֹת.

Tithing, Offerings beyond tithes — and charity beyond that — are each mi•tzᵊw•otꞋ no less binding than any other mi•tzᵊw•otꞋ of Tor•âhꞋ!

"Bring all of the מַעֲשֵׂר to the בּית הָאוֹצָר and let it become טֶרֶף בְּבֵיתִי, then, prithee, test Me, said י--ה of Armies; if I won't open the אֲרֻבּוֹת of the heavens and pour out a בְּרָכָה upon you עַד-בְּלִי-דָי [an idiom meaning "infinitely"] — Ma•lâkh•iꞋ ha-Nâ•viꞋ 3.10.

Indeed, Ma•lâkh•iꞋ wrote in the two preceding pᵊsuq•imꞋ (3.8-9) that withholding tithes — something that belongs to י--ה — is tantamount to קָבַע י--ה out of what belongs to Him!

To practice Tor•âhꞋ non-selectively necessarily requires keeping the mi•tzᵊwâhꞋ to tithe just like any other mitz•wâhꞋ.

The correct (I•vᵊr•itꞋ) terms are מַעַשׂרוֹת, ‭ ‬ תְּרוּמוֹת and צְדָקָה.

Since it was given on Har Sin•aiꞋ, Tor•âhꞋ has stipulated that מַעַשׂרוֹת and תְּרוּמוֹת could only be directed to the maintenance of the operation, by the Ko•han•imꞋ, first of the Mi•shᵊkânꞋ, and later of the Beit ha-Mi•qᵊdâshꞋ.

During the periods subsequent to the destructions of the Beit ha-Mi•qᵊdâshꞋ:

"As it is written (Mᵊlâkh•imꞋ Beit 4.42), 'And a man came from BaꞋal Shalishah bringing bread of the בִּכּוּרִים to the man of Ël•oh•imꞋ.' And how was it that Ël•i•shâꞋ ate the בִּכּוּרִים [since he was not a Ko•heinꞋ], except to say to you that everyone who brings a present to a wise tal•midꞋ-[Tor•âhꞋ Jew] it even becomes a בִּכּוּרִים approach-offering [of the heavenly Beit ha-Mi•qᵊdâshꞋ]." (Mᵊnor•atꞋ ha-Mâ•orꞋ by Yi•tzᵊkhâqꞋ Abu•havꞋ 14).

Notice that Tor•âhꞋ stipulates that "firstfruits" go to י--ה — not to the government tax office. This seems to imply that tithes are calculated not from "seconds" (after taxes), but as "firstfruits" of gross income. The rabbis, however, calculate tithes from after-tax income. There is justification for the rabbis' alternative interpretation. In modern times, what goes to the government is deducted before any income goes to the individual. Thus, taxes are a deduction, which reduce the true income that then goes to the individual. As a result, it can be said that the only true income the individual receives is after-taxes income. It seems likely, then, that the School of Sha•maiꞋ< !-- שַׁמַּאי assessor -- > would advocate pre-tax calculation of tithes while the School of Hi•leilꞋ would more likely advocate the after-taxes calculation of the true income received by the individual. This would have been particularly true in the times of Roman occupation, when tax-gougers took what they could and the individual's income was whatever he could retain after the tax-gougers had ravaged him. We also know that RibꞋi Yᵊho•shuꞋa was of the School of Hi•leilꞋ — which fixes the Nᵊtzâr•imꞋ position.

Paying מַעַשׂרוֹת, ‭ ‬ תְּרוּמוֹת and צְדָקָה to any person or organization who isn't practicing legitimate Tor•âhꞋ observance doesn't satisfy the mi•tzᵊwâhꞋ and, far worse, supports idolatry — making the donor a participant idolater.

Don't Support Fakes!

When I began publishing about the Nᵊtzãr•imꞋ in 1972, no one in the world had seen or heard the term "Nᵊtzãr•imꞋ" (by any spelling) since around the 3^rd century CE!

I literally wrote the book of the modern era on the original and definitive history of the original Nᵊtzãr•imꞋ Jews: The Nᵊtzârim Reconstruction of Hebrew Matitᵊyâhu !

Some websites may be doing the best they can to spread the word about this website, as I hope you will. But don't be misled by other websites claiming themselves to be authoritative Nᵊtzãr•imꞋ! They are neither original nor authoritative! NHM  and this www.netzarim.co.il is the sole original, and most authoritative, website for the Nᵊtzãr•imꞋ in the modern world! You cannot relate to the historical Nᵊtzãr•imꞋ without NHM  And the only cost now is to pay it forward!

I've been retired for some time now from the (loss-producing) funding side of publishing my science-compatible (i.e. real-world, no fairy tales), historical research. I've since been dedicated exclusively to continued research in the historical, real-world underpinning of Ta•na״khꞋ and the Nᵊtzãr•imꞋ—periodically publishing the results of my research, as I complete and update them, exclusively in the pages (especially the glossary pages) of this website.

My advice to you is to dedicate your funds to Pay It Forward—by funding as necessary to: educate yourself in the vast definitions in these glossary and other pages, then educate your loved ones and friends to what you learn in this website, discuss the website with others, quote from this website in online comments sections of all kinds giving the proper citation (see bottom of page). You take the work forward by citing this website as the original work in the modern rebirth of the Nᵊtzãr•imꞋ!

Calculating מַעַשׂרוֹת

See Errata to NHM note 23.23.2

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Pay it forward (Quote & Cite):

Yirmeyahu Ben-David. Otzar (2023.09.18). Netzar­im Jews World­wide (Ra'anana, Israel). https://www.netzarim.co.il/Shared/Glossary/Treasury.htm (Retrieved: Month Da, 20##).