Tzeddakah

Terumah and Ma’aser

Dear Rabbi Simon I received a notice today from the London Beth Din that mentioned the process for separating terumah and ma’aser. I have the following questions: The notice did not mention using an actual coin. Isn’t the coin part of the process? Assuming a coin is required for ma’aser sheni, I have seen it said that we should throw the…

Ma’aser Questions

Dear Rabbi Simon, I have a couple of ma’aser [charity tithe] questions if you don’t mind helping me with, please. My brother gave me £100 as a birthday present recently. Do I need to deduct ma’aser from this? Also, is one able to give a donation from a salary that one has not been paid yet? As in, may I…

Ma’aser Question

Dear Rabbi Simon I have a ma’aser question if you don’t mind please. If one makes a donation to a charity on the occasion of a simcha or birthday and to mark this the charity sends out a certificate to the person in whose honour the donation has been made, can this donation still be counted towards ma’aser money, even…

Ma’aser Questions

Dear Rabbi Simon I hope you are well. I have a couple of ma’aser question if you don’t mind. I recently donated to the Hendon Evening Beis’ charity campaign and I just wanted to check that this donation would be included as ma’aser money? Also, is one able to give a donation from a salary that one has not been paid yet? As…

The Power to Bless

Hello Rabbi Simon I am very excited about completing my conversion process through immersing in the mikveh this week. I type that last sentence with so much hakaras hatov [gratitude] that my appointment is going ahead despite the contagion. I was wondering about what I should have in mind during immersion. I understand that the day of conversion is a very…

Ma’aser Calculation

Dear Rabbi Simon, As your responses are always so helpful I hope you don’t mind if I ask another question regarding ma’aser. I had always thought that one was obligated to take 10% from one’s salary and that is the contribution of ma’aser to make. e.g. say from the £1000 that entered your bank account each month, it would be…

Tzedakah Questions

Dear Rabbi Simon, I have some ma’aser queries that I would be grateful if you could help me with. I made a complaint to two separate companies, due to a defect in their products, which made them unusable. (Although the amounts involved are modest, I want to be exacting in the mitzvah, as well as to establish the halakhic principles…

Tzedakah Calculation

Dear Rabbi Simon, I have a question regarding giving charity. If I had committed to giving a set amount each month to charity and I decide to give this charity through a service like https://achisomoch.org/, where they take 5% comission for the use of their very good service, surely it is up to me to give an additional 5% as…

Questions & Answers
this week

Questions and Answers

Ask the Rabbi: Quinoa on Pesach
Dear Rabbi Simon,
Where do you stand on quinoa (and the kitniyot ban) for Pesach?
Many thanks,
Tzippy
***
Dear Tzippy,
In line with other American authorities, I am in favour of quinoa. Although I reject completely the voices (mostly from Israel) seeking to abolish the ban on kitniyot entirely, IMO we do not need to include in the prohibition pseudo-grains that were unknown in the Old World until modern times. Best to buy with a Pesach hechsher though, to be free of any possible wheat contamination.
Rabbi Rashi Simon
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