Q. Is it possible to make change from a Tzedakah voucher using the shul's pushka the same way people do with real currency?
Since I've designated the money for tzedakah and received a tax receipt, if I use some of the change (by accident) for personal use, isn't that geneivah? And therefore, lechatchila, I shouldn't be allowed to do it.
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A. Horav Shlomo Miller's Shlit"a opinion is that although you can use a shul's pushka to make change from real currency, you may not do the same with tzedokoh vouchers. The reason is that by changing coins and leaving bills behind in the pushka you make it easier for the ones in charge of collecting the funds from the pushka. That is not the case with tzedokoh vouchers, which cannot be directly deposited in a bank and may require extra steps and cause even a percentage loss. However if one benefits the tzedokoh fund by taking less than the par value, he should then consult with the officials in charge as to what is the accepted custom in that shul and by how much should he benefit the institution.
In regards to using the change acquired legally from a voucher, as when you donate one to a tzedokoh collector and he gives you back cash; that change can be utilized for personal use.
This applies as long as you remember to repay and contribute their value to tzedokoh. The coins received, unless so specified in a neder, (“Harei zu" as opposed to “Harei olay") do not necessarily belong themselves to tzedokoh, but the amount donated does.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised By Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit"a
Important Numbers
