Borrowing from the Charity Box

Shalom Rabbai, If I dedicate money for Hashem and I need to use some of it and return it next week can I?

Shalom!

Thank you for your question!

The Talmud says that one who pledges a certain coin to charity is permitted to use that coin for personal needs and simply replace it with a different coin for charity.

However, there might be some different considerations at play if you already placed the money into a charity box in your home. This is because there is much discussion on the status of a charity box. Does money placed in the charity box remain the property of the donor until the charity box is actually handed over to the charity or does it immediately become the property of the beneficiary ?

Ultimately however, it is permitted to borrow from a charity box if one is careful and certain to pay the money back and one should write on a note of paper the amount owing and place it in the charity box.

A commitment to give charity is considered to be a binding vow. As the Torah says, “Be careful to fulfill the words of your mouth…” The Talmud teaches that this verse refers first and foremost to pledges made to charity. Failure to follow through on a vow is considered to be a very severe transgression. For this reason, many people have the custom to say “bli neder” when committing to do a mitzva of any kind. In this way, the commitment does not have the status of a vow and, by extension, non-fulfillment of the commitment is far less severe.

Arachin 6a, Rosh Hashanna 6a; Rambam, Hilchot Matnot Aniyim 8:5; YD 257:3, 258:6,13, 259:1.