May I use money set aside for Maa’ser to buy treats for girls in high school?

 

Background:

From my experience when I was in high school, whenever there was a visitor from out of school, it brought me a little bit of joy and encouraged me to continue learning. This year I am out of high school, and I would like to visit my former school to bring joy to the girls and the occasional treat to lift their spirits. I understand that the Tzeddaka money wouldn’t be going directly towards chinuch per se, but I wondered if this was something that would constitute as a good cause for the money.

 

Maaser needs to have a direct immediate positive result. You could give your maaser money to purchase treats for the girls that will be used as rewards for excellence in learning or middos or mivtzaim. However to just hand out treats to the girls is not a justified reason to use maaser money.

You can speak with a faculty school member and ask them what they recommend you do with distributing treats as a mivtza, thus allowing it to be used with maaser money.

 

 

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