Can Tuition Be Paid with Maaser
Rabbi Nachman Wilhelm of Online Smicha: Can school tuition be paid with Maaser money? Video
ב"ה
Tuesday, 16 Shevat, 5786
| February 3, 2026
Rav, the previous comments make some very good points
Do you care to respond?
Signed,
Yosef Uline
Can Ruben pays tuition to Shimons kids with maaser who on turns pays Levi’s kids tuition with maaser who in turns pays Rubens kids tuition with maaser ?
You started by saying that you will talk about something relevant to the times. Considering this past week, hundreds of parents have been complaining about the abuse that they suffer from the administration to pay up pick up and there’s the door…. isn’t there some halacha about that? Wouldn’t this be the right time to talk about the halacha that there is an obligation on the whole community to teach each and every child? And therefore, one is not allowed to say such a thing to an individual parent! Please please talk about this! Thank you!!!
I am very taken aback by R Wilhelm carefully handpicking opinions supporting his views. For example, he only quotes the Alter Rebbe, where the Alter Rebbe tells us what’s better. He doesn’t quote the Halacha from there. He only reads a letter from the Rebbe where the Rebbe says it’s better not to, but he could have read letters where the Rebbe is advising very differently and allowing maaser for tuition. And on and on. Parents are under tremendous pressures in a monopoly system, where there is no accountability and there is no choice. If you want to say in… Read more »
Can we give a dollar for tuition and rest as donation? Good for maiser and Taxes.
Its 90% babysitting – not learning. So use 90% maiser?
After 18 no obligation = Maiser OK?
Bottom line pay that tuition any way possible.
No jumping to conclusions! Rav Yitzchok Blazer Zatzal (Shaalos U’Teshuvos Pri Yitzchok Vol. 2 Siman 27) states that if a person is in financial need, he may deduct tuition for his daughters, and for sons that are over 6 years old. Also, one may use ma’aser money to pay the amount in excess of regular tuition (- the “inflated” tuition fees above the actual cost of the chinuch of his child): Igros Moshe Y.D. 2:113, and Harav S.Z. Auerbach (Ma’aser Kesafim pg. 22). Also, see Responsa Tzitz Eliezer 9:1. 5 for further allowance. Plus other sources… ONE SHOULD ASK A… Read more »
Do you think a Rav would pasken that because of the terrible burden so many feel, that paying out of maaser should be l’chatchila? So that our schools stay open for others?
1) besides the chyuv of talmud torah, these are jewish institutions that should be on same ground of shuls etc… The other option would be public schools. so just for this reason alone, supporting jewish schools in order to avoid assimilation should be considered tsedaka…. not on grounds of talmud torah, 2)Bottom line, every yeshiva is in debt, so whatever is not covered by tuition is to be fundrased, so y not permit maaser, in the end it will need to be fundraised. I don’t see the logic of giving financial breaks, as long as people are donating to other… Read more »
According to this video the answer is no, parents cant pay tuition using maaser money… But others can-once i started working, I paid for my siblings tuition using maaser
what about a mothers money to a son? no chiyuv for them to teach their son
Very good idea. We need much more than maaser to pay the tuition