Tithe

Devarim - Deuteronomy
14

22 Thou shalt surely tithe all the increase of thy seed, that which is brought forth in the field year by year.

23 And thou shalt eat before HaShem thy G-d, in the place which He shall choose to cause His name to dwell there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flock; that thou mayest learn to fear HaShem thy G-d always.

24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it, because the place is too far from thee, which HaShem thy G-d shall choose to set His name there, when HaShem thy G-d shall bless thee;

25 then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thy hand, and shalt go unto the place which HaShem thy G-d shall choose.

26 And thou shalt bestow the money for whatsoever thy soul desireth, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul asketh of thee; and thou shalt eat there before HaShem thy G-d, and thou shalt rejoice, thou and thy household.

27 And the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee.

28 At the end of every three years, even in the same year, thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase, and shall lay it up within thy gates.

29 And the Levite, because he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that HaShem thy G-d may bless thee in all the work of thy hand which thou doest.

Devarim - Deuteronomy
Chapter 24

19 When thou reapest thy harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go back to fetch it; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that HaShem thy G-d may bless thee in all the work of thy hands.

20 When thou beatest thine olive-tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

21 When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it after thee; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

22 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt; therefore I command thee to do this thing.


Devarim - Deuteronomy
Chapter 26

1 And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which HaShem thy G-d giveth thee for an inheritance, and dost possess it, and dwell therein;

2 that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which thou shalt bring in from thy land that HaShem thy G-d giveth thee; and thou shalt put it in a basket and shalt go unto the place which HaShem thy G-d shall choose to cause His name to dwell there.

3 And thou shalt come unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him: 'I profess this day unto HaShem thy G-d, that I am come unto the land which HaShem swore unto our fathers to give us.'

4 And the priest shall take the basket out of thy hand, and set it down before the altar of HaShem thy G-d.

5 And thou shalt speak and say before HaShem thy G-d: 'A wandering Aramean was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous.

6 And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage.

7 And we cried unto HaShem, the G-d of our fathers, and HaShem heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression.

8 And HaShem brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders.

9 And He hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

10 And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the land, which Thou, O HaShem, hast given me.' And thou shalt set it down before HaShem thy G-d, and worship before HaShem thy G-d.

11 And thou shalt rejoice in all the good which HaShem thy G-d hath given unto thee, and unto thy house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is in the midst of thee.

12 When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithe of thine increase in the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be satisfied,

13 then thou shalt say before HaShem thy G-d: 'I have put away the hallowed things out of my house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all Thy commandment which Thou hast commanded me; I have not transgressed any of Thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them.

Shemot - Exodus
Chapter 23

10 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and gather in the increase thereof;

11 but the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of thy people may eat; and what they leave the beast of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.


As I read it, what was really happening.
The people would store a tenth of their produce with the levites. The levites would give a tenth of that (1%) to the priests. Every three years that tithe would be brought out so that the poor could eat
So tithe is charity
Now It's something completely different
If churches were true to tradition, people would put their money in the collection plate
1% of that would go directly to the church and the rest would be used for charity.

I'd like to see a resurgence of tithing  We have to think of an effective way to enact it in our current society.  Every business and person gives 10% of their product, services, or labour freely to the poor.  Sounds easy enough.

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