Can I Pay Yeshiva Tuition From Maaser? What the Poskim Actually Say

Few maaser questions come up as often as tuition — and few are as widely misunderstood. The instinct is simple: tuition supports Torah education, Torah education is a mitzvah, so it should count toward my ten percent. The poskim, however, largely rule the other way, and the reason teaches you how maaser works.

The principle: maaser cannot fund your pre-existing obligations. A parent is halachically obligated in the Torah education of their children. Money you are already required to spend cannot be redirected from tzedakah funds — otherwise you are giving your "tenth" to yourself. On this basis, Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe, Yoreh Deah 2:113) holds that tuition for one's own children's elementary and high-school education is an obligation and may not be paid from maaser money. This is the position followed by most contemporary authorities (see the Bais HaVaad's treatment, "Ma'aser for Tuition").

Exception 1 — genuine financial hardship. Rav Yitzchak Blazer and other poskim permit a parent in real financial need to pay tuition from maaser for children above the age where the formal chinuch obligation applies (roughly age six and up), when there is no other way to cover it. This is a leniency for pressed circumstances, not a default.

Exception 2 — older sons learning beyond your obligation. Once a son is of beis-medrash age, a parent is generally no longer halachically obligated in his support. Supporting his continued Torah study at that stage may be paid from maaser according to many poskim — it is now tzedakah, not obligation. Chabad sources similarly permit deducting costs that facilitate an older son's Torah learning when unaffordable otherwise (Shulchanaruchharav.com, "Using Maaser money to pay tuition of Torah education").

Exception 3 — communities differ. Sephardi practice, following Rav Ovadia Yosef, treats maaser kesafim as a minhag rather than a strict obligation, which opens more room for leniency under financial strain — including, per Rav Ovadia, using maaser savings toward children's wedding costs for one in difficulty (Meshiv Kahalachah, "The Laws of Maaser Kesafim").

The practical takeaway: don't assume, and don't guess. Tag the tuition line in your ledger, see the positions side by side, and bring the specific case to your rav.

MyMaaser presents sourced halachic positions and is not a substitute for your rav. Consult your rav (CYLOR).

Sources: Igros Moshe YD 2:113 via Bais HaVaad · Shulchanaruchharav.com · Meshiv Kahalachah