The Surprising Origins of Ma'aser (Part 1 of 2)

The children of Israel are on the cusp of entering the land. And once this happens, Moses tells them, they'll have to keep a bunch of new laws - including the law of ma’aser, tithing, and the law of vidui ma’aser, the declaration of ma’aser. But why isn’t it enough to give ma’aser - why does it come with this dramatic statement? Why the spectacle?

There happens to be a story involving ma’aser, a story from much earlier in the Torah. A new look at this story may actually show us the roots of ma'aser, and explain why we make this grand speech.

Click here to watch "Jacob's Ladder".