Please put me through on how to handle tithe issue, since we don’t have temple for now.
Is supporting the a jewish community in terms of help in building and maintaning a house of prayer seen as paying a tithe?
Shalom.
Answer:
The biblical tithes used to be given to the Kohanim, or priests, who served in the Temple (some tithes were given to the Levites).
Nowadays, the principle of tithing applies, according to Jewish law, on produce that grows in the land of Israel, though it is no longer given to the Kohanim.
Aside from produce, the principle of tithing applies to a person’s income, one tenth of the income being donated to charity, though this is not a Torah (biblical) injunction, but rather rabbinic or customary.
Giving one’s tithes to a house of prayer is certainly acceptable, and the Sages see a Jewish house of prayer as a microcosm of the Temple, for in the absence of the Temple, our prayers take the place of the Temple offerings.
For more details on the Jewish concept of tithing, please see https://dinonline.org/2010/11/11/vayeitzei-the%C2%A0basics%C2%A0of%C2%A0maaser%C2%A0kesafim/.
