[Avodah] Avodah Post - Ma'aser Funds for Raffles

[Daniel Israel]

Joseph Sasson wrote:
> I recently received an e-mail from a local yeshiva I highly respect 
> regarding their most recent fund raising project.  In essence, the 
> yeshiva is running a lottery wherein (numbers changed for simplicity) 
> 200 people each pay-in $1,000.  One person will win $100,000 and 40 
> others will win $2,000.  The yeshiva will keep the rest. (In the actual 
> case the yeshiva will be keeping between 22%-23%.)  The e-mail also 
> mentioned by way of reference that the funds for this lottery could come 
> from one's ma-aser funds.  For the purposes of this discussion I would 
> like to assume that ma'aser kesafim is a hiyuv.  A general discussion on 
> the nature of such obligation (if any) is not my intent.  My questions 
> are as follows:
> 
> 1.  Primarily, can one allocate ma'aser funds for such a project? If so, 
> where do we draw the line in terms of percentages retained by the charity?

There is a very nice sefer called _The Laws of Tzedakah and Ma'aser_ by 
R' Taub which deals with these questions.  (Originally published in 
Hebrew as Imrei Tzedakah.)  Your case seems no different than any 
raffle, except for the numbers involved. He quote Igros Moshe as 
holding, b'kitzur, that one must compute the value of the ticket 
statistically and then only pay ma'aser for cost above that.  If I 
understand correctly, in your example, if people not interested in this 
tzedakah would still be willing to pay $700 for such a ticket, just to 
have a chance at winning, then you could only use $300 of ma'aser (that 
is, use ma'aser to pay the difference).

The cheshbon seems a little more complex than I'm presenting, please 
don't rely on this without checking the details.

He also quotes both RYSE and RSZA as being opposed to using ma'aser 
money for raffles.


-- 
Daniel M. Israel
dmi1 at cornell.edu