Terumat hamaaser

The term tithe (Hebrew: ) occurs ten times in the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible, in addition to the term (Hebrew: 'tithe of the tithe', in the Septuagint Greek: ) which occurs once only in Nehemiah . This offering is to be distinguished from the "offering tribute" (Hebrew: ) which Moses gave to God in Numbers . ==Rabbinical interpretation==

The gift of was generally not given by the Israelite directly to the priest. Rather, it was given to a Levite, as the recipient of maaser rishon ('first tithe'; Hebrew: ), and then the Levite gave of ten percent of his gift directly to the kohen. After the edict of Ezra, which directed to be given to the priest, it became the Kohen's responsibility to give one tenth of his gift to another priest of his choice. In the Hebrew Bible, the ('offering') was regarded as a kind of sacred korban (also 'offering'). It could be eaten only by Jewish priests and their families, had to be ritually pure, had to be eaten while in a state of ritual purity, and could not be taken out of the Land of Israel. == In modern times ==

Orthodox Judaism requires taking from produce grown in Israel, although in the absence of a Temple it is no longer given to the priests. In contemporary practice, most of the Terumah and various other biblical tithes (including first tithe and second tithe are first set aside. The 'second tithe' () is then redeemed upon a coin of nominal value (not generally equal to the value of the produce). The coin and the unredeemable portion of the produce are then discarded in a manner that prevents their use. The reason for discarding in such a manner is that taking these tithes are sacred and must be preserved in a state of "purity" (Hebrew: ) and eaten by a priest in a state of purity. In contemporary times, all people are considered to be defiled by a type of "impurity" (Hebrew: ) which can only be purified through the ritual of the red heifer (Hebrew: ). It has not been possible to perform this sacrifice since the destruction of the Second Temple. Since it is forbidden to defile , the produce must be discarded in a manner commensurate with its holiness. == See also ==