Tithe Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Hebrew Bible== {{main|Tithes in Judaism}} ===Laws=== [[File:Monier22.JPG|thumb|''Tithing in the Temple'' by [[Pierre Monier]]]] The [[Torah]] commands the giving of various agricultural tithes in various situations, specifically [[terumah]], [[terumat hamaaser]], the [[first tithe]], [[second tithe]], [[poor tithe]], and [[animal tithe]]. Not all these "tithes" actually had the proportion of {{frac|10}}. These tithes are mentioned in the Books of [[Book of Leviticus|Leviticus]], [[Book of Numbers|Numbers]] and [[Book of Deuteronomy|Deuteronomy]]. Every year, ''terumah'', first tithe and ''terumat ma'aser'' were separated from the grain, wine and oil.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|14:23|HE}}</ref> (As regards other fruit and produce, the Biblical requirement to tithe is a source of debate.) Terumah did not have a set amount, but the rabbis suggested it be {{frac|50}} of the crop. First tithe was {{frac|10}} of the crop. ''Terumah'' and ''terumat maaser'' were given to priests ([[kohanim]]); the first tithe was given to [[Levites]]. As priests and Levites did not own or inherit a territorial [[Property|patrimony]]<ref>{{Bibleverse|Numbers|18:21-28|HE}}</ref> these tithes were their means of support. The Levites, in turn, separated ''terumat ma'aser'' from their tithe ({{frac|10}} of the tithe, or {{frac|100}} of the crop). The second tithe and poor tithe, both {{frac|10}} of the crop, were taken in an alternating basis according to the seven-year ''[[shmita]]'' cycle. In years 1, 2, 4, and 5 of the cycle, second tithe was taken. In years 3 and 6, poor tithe was taken. (In year 7, private agriculture was prohibited, all crops that grew were deemed ownerless, and no tithes taken.) The [[second tithe]] was kept by the owner, but had to be eaten at the site of the [[Temple in Jerusalem|Temple]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/> (If this was difficult, the second could be redeemed for money which would be used to buy food at the Temple site.<ref>{{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|14:24–26|HE}}</ref>) The [[poor tithe]] was given to the strangers, orphans, and widows, and distributed locally "within thy gates"<ref>{{Bibleverse|Deuteronomy|14:28|HE}}</ref> to support the Levites and assist the poor. An additional tithe, mentioned in {{bibleverse||Leviticus|27:32–33|HE}} is the [[cattle tithe]], which is to be sacrificed as a ''[[korban]]'' at the [[Temple in Jerusalem]]. ===Stories=== Tithing is mentioned twice in the stories of the [[Patriarchs (Bible)|Biblical patriarchs]]: * In {{bibleverse|Genesis|14:18–20|HE}}, [[Abraham]], after rescuing [[Lot (biblical person)|Lot]], met with [[Melchizedek]]. After Melchizedek's blessing, Abraham gave him a tenth of everything he has obtained from battle. * In {{bibleverse|Genesis|28:16–22|HE}}, [[Jacob]], after his [[Vision (spirituality)|visionary]] [[Dream#Abrahamic|dream]] of [[Jacob's Ladder]] and receiving a blessing from God, promises God a tenth of his possessions. Tithing is mentioned several times in the [[Book of Nehemiah]], which chronicles events in the latter half of the 5th century BC. {{bibleverse|Nehemiah|10|HE}} outlines the customs regarding tithing. The Levites were to receive one tenth (the tithe) "in all our farming communities" and a tithe of the tithe were to be brought by them to the temple for storage.<ref name="Quiggle2009">{{cite book|author=James D. Quiggle|title=Why Christians Should Not Tithe: A History of Tithing and a Biblical Paradigm for Christian Giving|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o0ZMAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA52|date=1 August 2009|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers|isbn=978-1-60608-926-2|pages=52–3}}</ref> {{bibleverse|Nehemiah|13:4-19|HE}} recounts how [[Eliashib (High Priest)|Eliashib]] gave [[Tobiah (Ammonite)|Tobiah]] office space in the temple in a room that had previously been used to store tithes while Nehemaiah was away.<ref name="Quiggle2009"/> When Nehemiah returned he called it an evil thing, threw out all Tobiah's household items and had his rooms purified so that they could once more be used for tithes.<ref name="Seminary1985">{{cite book|author=Dallas Theological Seminary|title=The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tSJWE-sR5HkC&pg=PA695|year=1985|publisher=David C Cook|isbn=978-0-88207-813-7|pages=695–}}</ref> The [[Book of Malachi]] has one of the most quoted Biblical passages about tithing. God (according to Malachi) promises that if the Jews begin to keep the laws of tithing, God will "open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need".<ref>{{Bibleverse|Malachi|3:6–12|HE}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page