Question:
If I work for a yeshiva or charity and I get paid $10 an hour.
Can I ask for a raise of $12 an hour, while promising to give those extra $2 per hour to that yeshiva?
I feel like the yeshiva might be inclined to give me the “raise” because they’ll get the money back anyway, and my paycheck is then “fahr-maaser’ed”
Is this a real raise? Or just an excuse to not giving maaser on what you earn.
Answer:
If they are willing to give the raise regardless of the fact that you will donate $2 of it to them, then it is permitted according to all poskim. However if the Yeshiva will only give you the raise on the condition that you give them back the $2, then it is controversial, however you may be lenient even in such a case.
If the school will give you the raise even if you don’t give them back the $2, then it is really yours and considered tzedakah, and you don’t have to worry about it.
Sources:
Borach Tzedakah 11-74, and conversation with the author, R’ Feinhandler shlit”a. That there are different opinions if it is considered getting money from the organization, since it isn’t really getting anything from them. R’ Eliyashiv zt”l was stringent regarding this, but R’ Sheinberg zt”l was lenient about it. One may be lenient about this. Everyone agrees that if he doesn’t have to give the money to the institution, that it can be considered giving from maser.
