Question:
I was recently employed. I earn $500 a week, so I know I need to pay maaser. Some research showed me that I could use this money to help my mother, who is a widow in a nursing home with no income, just basic Medicaid and Medicare, and very small Social Security payments. I was told I could help her not by giving her money but by sending her gift packages. What I have been sending are meals to supplement what she is being fed there on days when she is unable to eat what's provided, and also groceries for Shabbos every week so she can have some food that's familiar. When I have been calculating and keeping track of my maaser payments using an app, I simply enter my cash salary of $500, and in the give area I enter the full amount that the takeout or grocery shopping cost me. But now I am wondering if I can include things like the delivery fee and the taxes, and other charges that don't seem to be a direct benefit to my mother, like the food itself. Are they eligible to count? Or should I just be counting the food price? Please can you advise?
Answer:
Hello,
Expenses like taxes and delivery fees incurred to purchase food can be included, as they represent the total cost of providing the needed item to the poor person, which qualifies as tzedakah. However, if one can afford to pay for their own food, it is incorrect to use their personal funds to feed their parent instead of using maaser money..
Sources:
יורה דעה סימן רמ סעיף ה ' "י"א דאינו חייב ליתן לו רק מה שמחייב ליתן לצדקה (כן כתב הב"י דנראה כן מדברי הרי"ף והרא"ש, וכ"כ הר"ן פ"ק דקידושין). ומ"מ אם ידו משגת, תבא מארה למי שמפרנס אביו ממעות צדקה שלו".
