Is there a limit to a person’s generosity? TB Ketubot 50

Between yesterday’s daf and today’s daf TB Ketubot 50 we learned of five different takanot the Sanhedrin issued. The first takana on today’s daf deals with the topic of tzedakkah. Is there a limit to a person’s generosity?

“Apropos the ordinances instituted by the Sages in Usha, the Gemara cites another one. Rabbi Ile’a said: In Usha the Sages instituted that one who dispenses his money to charity should not dispense more than one-fifth. That opinion is also taught in a baraita: One who scatters should not scatter more than one-fifth, lest he render himself destitute and need the help of other people. And an incident occurred involving a certain individual who sought to dispense more than one-fifth of his property as charity, and his friend did not let him act upon his wishes. And who was this friend? Rabbi Yeshevav. And some say that Rabbi Yeshevav was the one who wanted to give too much charity, and his friend did not let him do so, and who was the friend? Rabbi Akiva.

“(Even though 20% of a person’s income is the maximum amount one should donate to tzedakkah is a rabbinic institution, the rabbis always try to find a biblical verse to support their enactment-gg) Rav Naḥman said, and some say it was Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov who said: What is the verse that alludes to this maximum amount of charity? “And of all that You shall give me, I will surely give a tenth of it [aser a’asrenu] to You” (Genesis 28:22). The double use of the verb that means to donate one-tenth indicates that Jacob, who issued this statement, was actually referring to two-tenths, i.e., one-fifth.

“The Gemara asks: But the latter tenth is not similar to the first tenth, as it would be one-tenth of what remained after the first tenth had been removed. Consequently, the two-tenths would not equal one-fifth of the original total. The Gemara answers that Rav Ashi said: Since the verse could have said: I will surely give one-tenth [aser a’aser], and instead stated: “I will surely give a tenth of it [aser a’asrenu],” it thereby alludes to the fact that the latter tenth is like the first one.” (Sefaria.org translation)

According to Jewish law a person should give somewhere between 10% and 20% of his income to tzedakkah. Today’s daf explains the 20% ceiling. Jewish tradition considers one who gives less than 10% is considered a miser.

We probably all should be contributing more tzedakkah than we are right now