Question:
I recently got married and was wondering if I may use some of my masser money to buy seforim for my home
Answer:
Mazal Tov to you and your wife on your recent chansuna.
Regarding your question, essentially a person’s maaser money has to go to poor people or to support torah, but not for personal mitzvos. There are poskim who oince said that a person can buy seforim in order to lend them out to others, which in a way is providing a service for other people who are in need for the seforim. The more recent poskim have said that this idea is largely not applicable anymore, because people nowadays we B”H have an abundance of seforim, and people are not really borrowing other people’s seforim, except on rare occasions. Therefore nowadays buying seforim from maaser money is really buying seforim for oneself, which is not the correct use for maaser money. (As a side point I know of a great Kollel where you could donate some of your maaser money…)
Mazal tov again
Sources:
Shach Y:D 249-3,Aruch Hashulchan Y:D 249-10, Orchos Rabeinu 3 pg. 138, Shevet Halevi 7-195, Avnei Yoshpe Y:D 191-4.
