Tithe

===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>