Expert: Ovadiah ben Avraham - 11/13/2007

Question
Hi,

In Judaism are members required to tithe (give 10% od their incomes) to the synagogue?

-Josh

Answer
Joshua,
Thanks for your kind question. When the Temple stood, Jews were required to give a portion of their income to the Priests. Currently we are without a Temple and we give this amount to charity instead. Synagogue dues are separate and are more related to the Temple tax than the tithe. Some charity monies are given to the Synagogue for them to distribute to the poor and needy. However, tithing is very different between the Church and the Synagogue. Hope this helps. Shalom!