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Is it ok for frum Jewish people to buy lottery tickets, I mean is there an issur of gambling involved?
There is no issur of gambling, there is something called משחק בקוביא which makes a person פסול לעדות if he makes it into a profession
Yes, it’s ok to buy one.
It’s called hishtadlus.-Psak as per my Zaidy
To amplify the zaidy – you are not allowed to rely on miracles. So, you need to give Hashem a chance to support you through normal channels. Many people go and learn a profession. But for those of us on a higher madregah, it is sufficient to buy a lottery ticket.
A practical advice: don’t buy the losing tickets, they are a waste of money and asur to buy. But just the winning ticket, and maybe a couple of losing ones to avoid ayin hara of people saying that things are too easy for you.
Let us know how it worked out.
By the individual we might have the consideration of asmachte lo kanye because he is sure he will win but not an organization or government where multiple people are involved it does not apply otherwise how can you have a yeshiva raffle but the Rambam holds anyway that only as a profession is assur. Also, they recognize that someone must win, so it does not apply.
“Also, they recognize that someone must win, so it does not apply.“
That doesn’t work for a powerball ticket
Why would anyone want to win the lottery? Feh
If you buy only one. Not any more. Just one. In that way we are giving Hashem a pesach- an opening that al pi teva can be explained as a winning ticket even though its clear that based on the odds it is a miracle. Bu we may not be zoche to a miracle in which Hashem drops 300 mil into my bank account. So we open a door the size of a needle- that iis our way of diminishing the miracle. Buying 2 means you are trying to increasing the odds. That is hishtadlus- that is ridiculous. Those odds ae not reasonable hishtadlus. You wouldn’t go for a job interview or for a shidduch if there was 1 in 300 million chance you would get it. The other thing is to be afraid of wealth. Ashirus is a bigger nisayon than poverty. Maybe the following is an idea. Draw up a contract in whihc you commit to give away 90 percent of the post taxes winnings to Tzedakos all over the world. Designate percentages for Yeshivos, Chesed organizations, yechidim etc. WRITE IT OUT> Sign it in fornt of 2 witnesses, give then copies, tell your kids you wrote such a contract so you are diminishing g the chances of the Yetzer orah creeping in. Then buy it and say Tehillim that the mosdos need you to win. Imagine if yo were able to distribute 270 million to Tzedakah….. without publicity. Set up a foundation- your name should not appear in public…. ah!! That would be a Kiddush Hashem!
Rabbaim is it one or one weekly?
A side question:
If Hashem decided on Rosh Hashanah how much you’re going to get aren’t you supposed to get it even if you don’t play the lottery (like finding it in the street)?
Yt,
The problem is does Hashem decide how much you’ll make in a year (50,000 or 1,000,000) then it shouldn’t matter how Hashem gives it to you because you’re supposed to get that money somehow
Or is it that Hashem decides that if you play the lottery you’re going to get one amount and if you don’t you’ll get a different amount
I think, if you buy a lottery ticket but if you do other hishtadlus and worthy, Hashem will lead you to the right place at the right time.
@Rabbaim, indeed. Wife of one of baalei mussar (maybe Alter from Slobodka?) bought a lottery. He immediately called witnesses and wrote a shtar that he has nothing to do with the money in case she will win. He was terrified with possible responsibility to use it properly.
It is better to buy the Lottery Ticket than steal it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
That said, I have never bought one.
That is not to say I do not enjoy occasional gambling such as a card game (back before Covid, when some friends would come over for a Sunday supper, then the men would play cards and the women would play Mah Jongg.
The amount gambled would be part of my entertainment budget, not money taken from bills or tzedakah or planned savings.Maybe the following is an idea. Draw up a contract in whihc you commit to give away 90 percent of the post taxes winnings to Tzedakos all over the world. Designate percentages for Yeshivos, Chesed organizations, yechidim etc. WRITE IT OUT> Sign it in fornt of 2 witnesses, give then copies, tell your kids you wrote such a contract so you are diminishing g the chances of the Yetzer orah creeping in. Then buy it and say Tehillim that the mosdos need you to win.
I’m not sure I get this. Hashem doesn’t need your help. Of course, if you become wealthy, you should give a lot of tzeddah (if I may disagree with Uncle Moishy) but I don’t get the making a deal with Hashem part.
Gambling is mutar according to the RaMA. The Beis Yosef holds it’s assur.
@yt that wasn’t my idea
Daas Yochid- along with $$$$ comes a huge Yetzer Horah. The shtar is to make sure you do as you promise. Asking Hashem to let you win so you can help mosdos, tzedakah etc…. is asking to be zoche to be a great shaliach MItzvah. Once you have taken the steps to commit to a plan, now you can ask to be a shaliach Mitzvah
Reb Eliezer- one yearly!!! Parnassah is form Rosh Hashonoh to Rosh Hashonoh.
Always- Mesillas Yeshorim says the nisayon of wealth is far greater than the nisayon of poverty! If he Gemara says that poverty is the risk of maavir al daas kono…. what can be said about wealth?The Ksav Sofer interprets the pasuk ‘וה’ הולך לפניהם יומם בעמוד ענן וכו When Hashem brings one, day (wealth), he should think of the dark cloud (it can turn bad) but at night (poverty) he should think at tbe amud aish (stand of fire) it will turn good, so he will be able to withstand good and bad.
RR> Gambling is mutar according to the RaMA. The Beis Yosef holds it’s assur.
Yt> I’m not sure who to hold byJust roll a dice
You can google “may one play the lottery [i.e. purchase a lottery ticket]?” for the opinion of the Shulchan Aruch HaRav. also heard that Rav Ovadia and Rav Avraham Shapira allowed buying Israeli lottery tickets as they go for tzedaka purposes. Also, the odds are so enormous that any normal person will think that the money is gone. From the standpoint of taking the money if one wins, the sponsor knows that it will have to pay up someone eventually. There have actually been dinei Torah regarding someone who bought a ticket for someone else or received a ticket when buying something for someone else.
big round of applause to @ctlawyer for not using tzedaka $ for gambling!
@dy what uncle m?
@ Participant,
The first song on the first Uncle Moishy record.
Asking Hashem to let you win so you can help mosdos, tzedakah etc…. is asking to be zoche to be a great shaliach MItzvah.
There are lots of wonderful mitzvos. You are suggesting we ask for the zechus to be able to perform one which allows us to keep 10% of hundreds of millions of dollars, and expect Hashem to be fooled ch”v into thinking it’s l’shem shomayim?
Dy,
I think that Hashem knows a persons true motivation and his past precedent solidifies that (if a person wants to give tzedakah at any opportunity possible)
(Follow up)
Scratch that
Hashem is בוחן כליות ולב and considers a מחשבה לטובה so if one really wants to help mosdos but can’t because he doesn’t have a lot of money Hashem does consider it as a זכות
Dy,
I think that Hashem knows a persons true motivation and his past precedent solidifies that (if a person wants to give tzedakah at any opportunity possible)
Of course He knows (even without past precedent). It was a rhetorical question. I think the person buying the lottery ticket “l’shem shomayim” is fooling himself.
“I think the person buying the lottery ticket “l’shem shomayim” is fooling himself.“
Maybe or maybe not
Like I said before Hashem is בוחן כליות ולב
I have no desire to be wealthy. I have what I need to live right now and BH my family is not desirous of the “world out there”. Nevertheless I have a big desire to be able to help others including my family. I have over 30 cousins in Eretz Yisroel, many of whom are struggling-some full time learning and some working- and many have children of marriageable age but are concerned that they cannot afford to participate in chassunah and post chassunah expenses because of lack of funds. They do not want to procure a letter and come collecting in person. I’d love to be able to have the money to take away their worries and let them marry off children without borrowing and worrying.
I would love to give a few million each to some of the Yeshivos I went to and help eaase thier burden, or give raises to the faculties or pay bills or expand if needed. That is a taava- a deep desire I have. I’d love to have the ability to write a check for 100 or 500…or??? dollars to the aniyim who come to my door shlepping alll over to try to raise money to pay bills.
I’d love to be able to set up a fund to help the needy Yesomim and almanos of so many who were niftar for various reasons.
I am close to someone whose wife was niftar at 35 and left him with 8 children. Someone stepped in and paid for a Yiddishe woman to be there all day to cook, do laundry, prep supper ans shop so he can be free to be with his children when he came home from a long day at work. Life insurance kicjked in and he put it aside to be able to make chassunos and pay some tuitions. Oh- how Id love the zechus of doing such Chassidim!!
I’m OK with what I have, but I have a Ruchniyu taava to do Tzedakah and chessed but do not have the money to do it. So I daven =, write out and sign my shtar, and buy a ticket once in a while. Is that bad???Then why 90% instead of 100%?
Rabbaim, when you buy one every week, the probability of winning increases as you nught not be to worthy of a miracle to win and your hishtadlus must be stronger. it could also be that by only buying one a year you increase your worthiness by trusting in Hashem.
Rabbaim, what is fated every year? How much one will earn this year or how much one will one earn through buying a lottery ticket?
>> I’d love to have the ability
Try starting a business? and, then, daven for it to succeed. Or, just hire the cousins.
Reb Eliezer- The Gemara says yuor income is determined from Rosh Hashanah to RH! It is pretty clear that it is a year by year din. If Hashem wanted me to have 50 million, then one ticket is enough of an opening for it to happen without being an overt clear cut miracle. Also, when odds are 1 in 300 million tha is clearly not called hishtadlus. It is “pischi li psicho shel machat…” HIshtadlus has to make sense on the “olam hamaaseh” This just downgrades the miracle a bit.
ALWAYS_ 1- If you want me to go fully bderech teva, then Most businesses do not succeed at that level. 2- I am in chinuch and have no heter to leave what I am dong to make money if my own needs are basically covered.
3- Hiring them when they are all oever …. are you just poking or you can think if a plan that your words make some sense?
DAAS- 10 percent I think I earmark for my own childen and einuklech if possible….Don’t you think there are people who need it more than them?
>> If you want me to go fully bderech teva, then Most businesses do not succeed
This is exactly what I am saying – start a business and then daven.
>> in chinuch and have no heter to leave
Not sure why you are complaining then? Hashem wants you doing chinuch, he’ll take care of your cousins some other way… Ironically, seems like some people in chinuch spend more time thinking about money than people in some professions who spend their free time learning … A friend said that when he asked his son’s Rebbe to do more for the kid, the guy said – how can you expect me to spend some much on the kids when I am thinking how to feed my family and extra work I can do.
>> Hiring them when they are all over
there is lot of business that is done remotely. Sell on internet and let them run customer service. Let them teach/tutor some of your students remotely.
I am complaining??? If I think of money to try to help others and mosods etc…. that is similar to the Rebbi who is complaining he cannot make ends meet?? I wrote that BH I ma making ends meet. I feel for those who cannot. I am not ready to leave chinuch to attempt to make money to help them. So I open up the door a crack and if Hashem wants me to be the shaliach to help others, fine. If not, I say….fine!!
I would also calmly suggest that you’re bias about Rabbaim is peeking through.
“A friend said that when he asked his son’s Rebbe to do more for the kid, the guy said…:
your friend is a friend but the Rebbi is a guy?? Not even that much kavod Talmidei Chachamoim or Raban shel Tinokos shel Bais Rabban??? Also- I find it hard to believe that your friend is quoting accurately…… a Rebbi knows such a line will be whatsapped or texted all over….
Thanks for the ideas of remote possibilties…. will look into it.>> your friend is a friend but the Rebbi is a guy?
the one from the story was definitely a guy, not a gal, and not a Talmid Chacham (based admittedly on a strict criteria). I can’t fully vouch for the story but it illustrates a lot what I see.
To be clear, I am in no way denigrating those wonderful teachers who work l’shem shamaim.
What I often see is that many people, both mena and women, are educated in a way that teaching is their only viable profession. Then, some of them are not really into that but they have no other job, and now they are teaching the kids. And this is happening for a couple of generations already, so this attitude becomes the norm. Again, I have greatest kavod for real teachers and always look for them.
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