“Bring ye the whole tithe into the storehouse etc.… And try Me now herewith” (Mal. 3:10). So important is tithing, that here the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Try Me,” unlike all other instances where it is forbidden to test Him, for it is written “Ye shall not try the Lord your God” (Deut. 6:16).¹ That tithe alluded to is the poor man’s tithe, to give to the poor a tithe from everything wherein a person profits, whether from interest or his own hire or from anything which comes to a person profitably. If he found or they returned to him goods stolen from him,² he must tithe, as it is written in Scripture.³ For Israel had not yet been among the nations of the world lending at interest.⁴ Woe unto them that withhold their tithes, for ultimately nothing will remain in their hands but the poor man’s tithe, as it is written, “And everyman’s hallowed things shall be his” (Num. 5:10).⁵

footnotes: ¹ Taanith 9a. ² Valuables that he had given up for lost. ³ The words “whole tithe” is taken to imply all sorts of revenue accruing from all sources, foreseen and unforeseen. (Perush.) ⁴ The Bible does not mention income from interest since it was then not prevalent. ⁵ Berakoth 63a.