From Financial Struggle to Abundance: One Woman's Journey Through Tithing

Lectures, workshops, programs, and activities, all focused on the theme of tithing. Sarah Yerit, the woman who took it upon herself to revolutionize this concept, shares: "Especially during these pandemic times, when the economic situation is full of uncertainties, I feel it's important to share the ancient secret to financial success with everyone. I want to help people easily upgrade their financial situation. No, this isn't some mysterious financial venture or a failing pyramid scheme. There's no catch, no exaggeration. I'm sharing Hashem's winning formula: 'Tithe so you will become wealthy'—if you give a tithe from everything you own, Hashem promises us blessing and success with additional dividends."

Are you not afraid to make such bold promises to people without hesitation?

"This isn’t my promise. It’s Hashem’s promise: it’s written in the Torah: 'Tithe, so you will become wealthy.' Our sages interpreted: 'Tithe, and you will become rich.' We even have special permission to test Hashem in this matter of tithes: 'Test me in this,' says Hashem. It’s truly an amazing promise—how can we, mere human beings, test the Creator of the World? By giving tithes, Hashem allows us to test Him, so to speak, and to watch for the blessing to come."

Have people actually experienced special blessings by giving tithes?

"There are countless Jews who began tithing and, thank Hashem, were helped in their finances. Many of them came back to update me on the results of their 'test' with tithing. I myself have seen and experienced open miracles in finances. Since we committed to regular tithing, we were spared from deep poverty. Without any logical explanation, without getting a new job, and without suddenly winning the lottery, it was simply a heavenly rescue."

(Photo: shutterstock)

A rescue? Deep poverty? What do you mean by that?

Sarah is ready to elaborate, and as she returns to those difficult days, her voice becomes emotional: "It was about twenty years ago. We were in a terrible financial situation. My husband was always working, we were never big spenders, and we lived very modestly. The 'luxury' I knew was a simple chocolate bar. Yet, our expenses always outpaced our income, the mortgage was a constant burden, and we struggled every month to cover daily expenses. It didn't always work. Loan after loan added up, our bank account went deeper into overdraft. The electric and water supply got cut frequently, and our phone was more disconnected than connected. Pretty soon our bank account was seized, and we saw no way out. Under great pressure, we tried to survive from day to day.

"It’s hard for me to remember those times. I used to cry to Hashem a lot and ask: 'What do you want from me? You wanted us to serve you wholeheartedly, to happily observe the mitzvot, and instead, I’m crying all day because of money. Please, I'm completely lost. Help us...'

"One evening, the pressure was immense. We had a large debt due the next day, and no money. The atmosphere at home was very tense. I went to bed feeling hopeless, with a desperate prayer to Hashem to show us a way out of this crisis. I couldn't sleep. The looming debt hung over me, and I couldn’t let go. Suddenly, a surprising thought came to mind: 'Tithe so you will become wealthy, tithe so you will become wealthy.'

"The words echoed within me, over and over, and I managed to recognize them and be amazed. Hashem sent me the answer and the solution. Did I want financial salvation? Did I wish for relief? Here was the answer: 'Tithe so you will become wealthy.' It was early in the morning, and I got out of bed half dancing. Filled with excitement, I promised myself that from then on, we would tithe a tenth of every bit of money that came to us. I felt like the gold diggers in America.

"When my husband woke up and saw my surprising joy, he thought I had received a dream with the money for our debt, but I felt I had found the doorway to our lost wealth. That very day, I found a shekel, and with great excitement, I took a ten-agorot coin and put it in an envelope.

"This was the beginning of our miraculous process. We repaid that debt with yet another loan found at the last minute, but the path to salvation was clear before us. From every amount of money we received, we separated a tithe and placed it in an envelope. When the envelope filled up, I gave the money to charity, and truly felt rich. To this day, I still have that small first envelope where we kept our initial tithes. It’s a cherished little envelope, and eventually, we moved on to bigger envelopes for notes, and when even those didn’t suffice, we shifted to boxes."

Were you not technically exempt from tithing given your financial circumstances?

"There are various intricate laws about this. But on a personal level, especially because of our struggle, it was 'worth' it for us to tithe. It’s the best investment we’ve made... Rabbi Sheinberg of 'Torah Ohr' used to say: 'Be stringent with tithes, and you will never lose.' From my experience, you will always gain. I heard a little story about a scholar who approached him saying he was very pressed for money and whether he could forgo tithing. The Rabbi replied: 'By the letter of the law, maybe you’re not obliged, but if you don’t tithe, how will you sustain yourself?'"

How did you manage to fill envelopes and boxes during such deep poverty?

"Initially, we also thought that way. After the big inspiration, we hit a 'brakes' moment. What tithe? How can we give when those 200 shekels could buy shoes for the kids? It seemed completely irrational. But I always compare this process to learning how to swim: at first, you’re very afraid to put your head in the water. You try once or twice, learn how to take a deep breath, close your eyes, and dive underwater. Eventually, you reach the point where you can enjoy swimming and the experience. You simply have fun.

"That’s how I felt about tithing. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes. I imagined Hashem watching me, saying: 'Let’s see you, Sarah!' I told myself, 'Hashem promised, there’s no way it won't happen. What are two hundred shekels compared to the divine promise of overflowing abundance?'

"We progressed step by step. With every miracle we saw, we strengthened our resolve to tithe. It was a true excitement. Like the excitement we’d feel if the bank manager of Israel let us in on his secrets and promised us treasures. How could we not be enthusiastic?"

Were there any financial challenges when giving your tithes?

"There certainly were. In the initial years, we gave what we could, and when we couldn’t, we didn’t give up. We recorded the exact amounts as tithing debts. The debt to the tithes reached tens of thousands of shekels! It was a hard trial, holding on tightly to trust and remembering it's just a test. We didn’t let go, continued to tithe or record it as debt, and with Hashem’s grace, we were eventually relieved and even paid off all the tithing debts."

When did you see with your own eyes the fulfillment of the promise of wealth?

"We didn’t become rich overnight. It was a special, heavenly process that can't be easily explained. Externally, we didn’t change jobs, our salary didn’t increase, and we didn’t win a house as a gift. Yet, suddenly we were able to repay loans more easily, received other loans more favorably. The debts shrank by themselves, and eventually, we finished with all the threatening debts and overdrafts. Finally, we could breathe freely without worrying about buying bread and milk for breakfast. Later, we found that the Vilna Gaon says: 'The one who gives a tithe will not lack, and the one who gives a fifth will become rich.' We immediately upgraded our 'contract' and began giving a fifth, and the miracles multiplied likewise. The years passed, and we managed to marry off all our children without debts. An amazing fact I could never have imagined achieving.

(Photo: shutterstock)

"There’s no natural explanation for this, and I’m still in the process. I’m not rich yet, but I’m sure that the wealth will come as assured: so that you will become wealthy. And even without yearning for riches, I’ve already been given a wonderful gift: financial security and peace of mind, not dependent on the salary entering the bank. No longer under immense pressure for every shekel I have to spend, rather much happier with every purchase. I have a new ability to do things that depend on money and to enjoy them. And to this day, again and again, I’m excited to tithe. I actually look forward for money to come just so I can have the merit to invest it in the safest place.

"At this stage, I’ve already told everyone I could about the merit of giving tithes. I wanted to spread this discovery as much as possible. Thank Hashem, this merit is truly infectious, and I have dozens of true stories from people who started tithing and saw the fulfillment of the divine promise."

What do you do to increase the number of people giving tithes?

"I give lectures to anyone interested and spread the laws of tithing wherever possible. Not everyone knows, but there are many laws regarding tithes, that if not done accurately, you can’t enact 'Test me in this.' Tithing is always a commandment, and can fulfill the obligation of giving charity, but sometimes the giver won’t always meet the criteria for permission to test Hashem. This relates to accuracy in calculations, to whom the money is given, and other crucial details that might also delay. After studying a lot on the subject, I discovered all sorts of amazing details, and I deliver classes in different groups through the media and workshops. In the workshops, I bring sources even for the basic laws that need to be known regarding tithes, in order to test what happens following the giving. And above all - I seek to awaken the merit of giving tithes, sharing real salvation stories that happened and continue to happen".

Was your activity stopped or slowed due to the pandemic?

"Thank Hashem, I didn’t stop, and the activity only grew and intensified. Especially now, I saw it as an important mission to reach as many people as possible and help them rebuild their livelihood. The workshops may not be able to take place in their usual format, but there are still many options for sharing information and lessons. I write, share, tell, and spread, and just yesterday I even sent a letter to the Prime Minister's office".

A letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?

"Yes, I wrote to him that during these times it’s important to tell the Jewish people that there is an option to recover from the damages of the pandemic. The Jewish people have a proven economic secret that can save us all. I requested him to encourage giving tithes according to halacha, so the recovery from the economic crisis will be, with Hashem’s help, much easier".

Do you think he will actually respond to such an original request?

"I don't know if the letter will truly reach his hands or get stuck along the way. Either way, I tried to do what I could. In fact, it's not the first time I've written him a letter. Twenty years ago, when he was Prime Minister in his first term, I managed to send him a letter. Then it was a request right before Israel's fiftieth anniversary. I wrote asking for help to move to Jerusalem, as children of an IDF fighter who was wounded on duty in Jerusalem and spilled his blood on its stones".

Did the letter reach him? Did he respond to you?

"I don't know if he read the letter. I received an official response expressing condolences and referring me to the Ministry of Housing".

Sarah pulls out a copy of the letter and the response. We enjoy seeing the "ancient" document filled with sincere innocence.

The Letter

Were you disappointed by such an evasive answer?

"I wasn’t disappointed at all. I sent it as part of the effort I felt I needed to make."

Where did the idea for such unusual effort come from?

"You're not the first to wonder about that. My friend who typed the letter into the computer was shocked and asked: 'Are you normal? If it reaches the Prime Minister's trash, consider it a success...' But I wasn’t deterred. We already knew about the matter of tithes, and were blessed to give tithes every month. With that, I knew we were doing our part in the best way. And if additional practical effort was needed, beyond my husband’s regular work, well, that’s why I sent the letter. Deep in my heart, I knew I wasn’t sending the letter to the Prime Minister's office. I was sending it directly to Hashem. Perhaps the earthly address was the Prime Minister's residence, but my real recipient was the Creator of the World. And indeed, He was the one Who answered me from the heavens.

"The inspiration for this came from a story I read around the same time about the righteous Rav Israel Baal Shem Tov. In his youth, he was extremely poor, and one week he didn’t have money for Shabbat expenses. With no choice, he went to make an effort: he knocked on the mansion door of the town's wealthy man. The wealthy man heard the knocks, put on his coat, got settled and ready leisurely, and went to open the door to the knocker, but by the time he arrived and opened the door, Rav Israel had walked away. The wealthy man understood it was he who knocked on his door and ran after him in amazement to know why he knocked and why he left immediately. When he reached the tzaddik, the Rabbi answered and said: 'I didn’t knock on your door, I knocked on Hashem’s door, and He, and only He, will help me obtain my needs for Shabbat.'"

Did you also experience Divine favor after sending the letter to Hashem?

"Indeed. We saw great Heavenly assistance and against all odds, managed to move to Jerusalem shortly thereafter. That week on Friday, we went up to Jerusalem to see some apartments. The first apartment we saw pleased us greatly, but it didn’t have bars on the windows, and there was no window in the living room. We debated on the apartment, continued to see other apartments we didn’t want at all, and reluctantly returned to the first apartment. Just stepping on the doorstep, the landlord welcomed us warmly, promised on his own, without us asking, to open a window in the wall and finance bars for the windows, and genuinely wanted us to sign a rental agreement with him. Over time, the neighbor across the way told me that several months' worth of people came and went concerned with the apartment, and we were the first ones the landlord personally welcomed.

By the way, that memorable Jerusalem apartment was on Ezra Street. There's a opinion that Ezra is the prophet Malachi, who prophesized about the tithes: 'Test me in this... and I will pour out a blessing for you beyond measure.'

"When we needed to move to a larger apartment, I felt a certain sadness: how could I part from the prophet Malachi? But then I realized that the new apartment was located on Amarkalim Street, and noticed that all the letters of the name 'Malachi' are present in the word Amarkalim. Moreover, the word Amarkalim means treasurers. It suited us perfectly...

"Later, when we had to move again, I told my husband 'the next apartment will, with Hashem’s help, be on Malachi Street.' And indeed, one day my husband called to tell me they were offering a rental there, but that it was small and a bit neglected. I responded: 'If Hashem gives us an apartment on Malachi Street, it will be nice and big.' A few months later, my husband walked past there and noticed they were refurbishing the apartment, and it was still for rent. We happily moved into it, feeling gratitude to Hashem. We lived there much longer than in previous apartments. Until, apparently, Malachi decided his prophecy should be fulfilled; when we had to vacate it, I prayed to Hashem to grant us an apartment that sanctifies His name. That people would understand what tithes provide and expand for a person, even if they’re not yet a millionaire. And indeed, Hashem granted us a spacious and wonderful apartment in the Rechavia neighborhood, bordering the Shaarei Chesed area. I felt a signal from Hashem: 'You gave tithes for kindness, so you will overlook the Shaarei Chesed, and I will expand for you in Rechavia.' Not only that – our apartment is on the tenth floor – a dear nod to the concept of tithing."