Question:
Hi- if one had daas to give a certain amount of tzedakah to a meshulach and then he realized he didn’t have money on him or his credit card wasn’t working in the machine, is he required to give that exact money to that meshulach? Let’s say he’ll never see him again and has no way of contacting him in the future? Can that exact amount be given to any other tzedakah?
Thank you for the rovs time.
Answer:
Hello,
Since you do not know who the Meshulach is, you do not have to give that money to tzedaka.
All the best
Sources:
There are a couple of reasons for the above halacha. First, merely thinking to give tzedaka is a matter of dispute. Second, regarding certain types of vows that were only in thought and not articulated, the custom amongst the Rabbonim is often to rely on the hataras niddarim said on erev Rosh Hashana on the previous year where the person declares that all future vows will be annulled. Lastly, in this case the person did not simply want to give tzedaka, rather he wanted to give the money in his pocket to the meshulach. Never did he intend to give money that was not with him to the meshulach, and he definitely had no intention of giving tzedaka from money that was not with him to an altogether different tzedaka organization!
