predicament: He has always set aside a tithe for the poor; now he finds that his parents need help and will not accept it from charity. Can he use his charity funds to support them and does this not violate the statement of Yoreh Deah 257.9, that one cannot give all one’s charity to a specific individual.
ANSWER: Charity begins at home. The initial duty of the son is the support of his parents and his family. As parents are the closest, they take priority.(Responsa, Yoreh Deah 229)
Isaac Aaron Ettinger(1827-1891), Lemberg
QUESTION: As a project the community has collected funds for a homeless shelter in Jerusalem . Now a letter requesting such funds for Safed arrived. Can they transfer the funds to this cause?
ANSWER: This should not be done for the following reasons: If the funds went to Safed , it is unlikely that another collection for Jerusalem would be undertaken and no shelter would be erected there. Secondly, Jerusalem possesses a higher degree of holiness than Safed , so funds should not be diverted.
One might think it possible to reason in the other direction according to a decision given by Shach ’s commentary on Yoreh Deah 259.11 that a menorah given to a synagogue may be used for ordinary lighting. Ettlinger, however, reasoned that this was true only if the synagogue already possessed enough menorahs. This was not so with Israel , as the need there remained great, especially in Jerusalem where there are often people without sufficient bread. For this reason the transfer should not be permitted.(Responsa Mahari 1.80)
QUESTION: Is it possible to join an organization that