Q & A - WITH RABBI RISKIN
Question. I am very careful about giving my 10% income to
tzedakah. Recently my
married children
came to ask me to sign a loan application that they want to organize
for themselves. I would like to help them with money
and not just sign arevut for their loan.
Would it be halakhic to consider them the recipient of the 10% as being
our contribution to tzedakah? We are unable to help
them financially in any other way.
Answer. If your children are truly in need - in other words, if
they require a
loan application for the
basic necessities of living quarters and making ends meet at end of month
- then money you give to them can be called tzedakah.
If however what you are talking about is
beyond basic necessities of life then it cannot be included in the 10% of
tzedakah.
