| According to halakha, one is normally not required to give more than one-fifth of his income to charity Nevertheless, halakha views the one-fifth he does give as representative of his total income.
Thus, as it ascends to God, it raises the remaining four-fifths with it. Moreover, since this money is the expression of all the sweat and blood that a person invested in his work, it represents his entire life, which now ascends to holiness to be a dwelling place for God. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz |