Maaser question

[Sandy]

I have acquired miles through credit cards over the last several years and I just used my miles to fly two people somewhere they needed to go, but were unable to pay for the tickets.  I would like to consider this tzedakah and count towards Maaser - but how do I account for it?  Do I go back and attempt to figure out how much the cost of each mile I used was when I acquired it or can I determine the cost of the trips by whatever the price is to fly them down with that airline at the time I bought the ticket?

[eis517]

I always have random maaser questions. I wish there was a maaser hotline people could call with their maaser questions. What other Halacha apply to everyone on such a constant basis?

[Shmulie]

theres a business halacha hotline which also deals with maaser 877-845-8455

[Dan]

From my LOR:
1. Maaser kesofim is a minhag.
2. Even if you took on the minhag of maaser kesofim it doesn't apply to non-cash gains.  And it definitely doesn't apply when converting those gains to cash is against the terms of the program and get you in trouble with the program.
3. If you do sell miles for cash you would have to give maaser on the proceeds.

[Shmulie]

From my LOR:
1. Maaser kesofim is a minhag.
2. Even if you took on the minhag of maaser kesofim it doesn't apply to non-cash gains.  And it definitely doesn't apply when converting those gains to cash is against the terms of the program and get you in trouble with the program.
3. If you do sell miles for cash you would have to give maaser on the proceeds.

i dont think thats what hes asking i think hes asking since he used his points to buy a poor persons tickets can he count that as maaser and how much is it worth

[churnbabychurn]

Basically, the question seems to be:
When giving non cash items as maaser, how do you value them: Fair market value, amount you paid for them, value to recipient etc.?

[Dan]

i dont think thats what hes asking i think hes asking since he used his points to buy a poor persons tickets can he count that as maaser and how much is it worth

Serves me right for just reading the first line

At any rate, ask your LOR.

[eis517]

Serves me right for just reading the first line

At any rate, ask your LOR.

Dan- this should be applicable to you. Assuming you use points to pay for your flights for the seminars which is for charity. Perhaps you can count the full market value of those expenses towards your maaser obligation ( if you do that)

[Moshe123]

Lol!

[Dan]

Dan- this should be applicable to you. Assuming you use points to pay for your flights for the seminars which is for charity. Perhaps you can count the full market value of those expenses towards your maaser obligation ( if you do that)

Lol. And if I fly first class to Israel to give a seminar there I can really take care of business.

I'm not looking for loopholes to get out of giving tzedaka in the form of cold hard cash, but thanks for the thought.

[SamKey]

I have acquired miles through credit cards over the last several years and I just used my miles to fly two people somewhere they needed to go, but were unable to pay for the tickets.  I would like to consider this tzedakah and count towards Maaser - but how do I account for it?  Do I go back and attempt to figure out how much the cost of each mile I used was when I acquired it or can I determine the cost of the trips by whatever the price is to fly them down with that airline at the time I bought the ticket?

I always have random maaser questions. I wish there was a maaser hotline people could call with their maaser questions. What other Halacha apply to everyone on such a constant basis?

There's a recent development in Jewish orthodoxy that just surfaced...it's called RABBIS they are the people you are supposed to ask your Halachic queries to not an anonymous forum or hotlines!

[zh cohen]

There's a recent development in Jewish orthodoxy that just surfaced...it's called RABBIS they are the people you are supposed to ask your Halachic queries to not an anonymous forum or hotlines!

+1

[raphy781]

There's a recent development in Jewish orthodoxy that just surfaced...it's called RABBIS they are the people you are supposed to ask your Halachic queries to not an anonymous forum or hotlines!

Where can I get one of these?

[SamKey]

Where can I get one of these?

@Bellevue hospital

[raphy781]

@Bellevue hospital

So I should trust someone I pick up at Bellevue over someone from a public forum?

[sky121]

There's a recent development in Jewish orthodoxy that just surfaced...it's called RABBIS they are the people you are supposed to ask your Halachic queries to not an anonymous forum or hotlines!

There's nothing wrong with people having discussions about things before asking a Rabbi. It's good for your brain.

[churnbabychurn]

There's nothing wrong with people having discussions about things before asking a Rabbi. It's good for your brain.

And soul

[SamKey]

There's nothing wrong with people having discussions about things before asking a Rabbi. It's good for your brain.

True IF it's before. But certain questions, like maaser questions, are are questions that come up quite often and if you don't have a Rabbi to ask your questions to you are in bad shape. Plus many questions are not black and white and every Rabbi will have a different opinion on to ask such a blunt question on what to do IMO is wrong. If someone shares what their Rabbi said as a way to start a conversation that is something else

[SamKey]

And soul

why?

[churnbabychurn]

any discussion of halacha and Torah is a mitzvah.
The soul is rewarded for full filing mitzvahs.

I hope this was clear enough?