Rav Yitzchak Zilbershtein, in advance of Purim, answered a series of questions posed to him regarding halachos of yeshiva boys collecting money on Purim for the "tat" of their yeshivas - "tat" being an acronym for "tomchei torah" which is a yeshiva fund to help the needier students.. below are some of the questions and answers..
While this isnt relevant to the masses, it is still interesting...
Q: When entering a building to knock on doors for collecting money, is it permitted to turn on the stairwell lights and to use the elevator or is it stealing from the residents? And if permission is asked of one of the residents, is that enough or do all residents need to be asked?
A: the light is definitely allowed to be used, as it is there for anyone entering the building. Collecting money is a legitimate purpose for entering the building and therefore the light can be used.
The elevator is more complicated as it is not uncommon for elevators breaking down on Purim due to misuse and/or overuse. Some buildings put up a sign to not use the elevator on Purim. A building without such a sign - the elevator can be used but one should be careful to not misuse it or doing anything unusual and get rowdy int he elevator. If damage is caused, you would have to pay for it.
Q: can money be collected in a shul while people are learning?
A: the learners should not be disturbed for this
Q: Can mincha on Purim be davened while in costume without a hat and jacket or should they be careful to only daven with a hat and jacket?
A: if it is respectable dress even as a costume, such as clothes people normally wear, for example a Lithuanian Jew dressing as a chassid or vice versa, that is fine. If it is a costume that is festive but not how one normally respectfully dresses, one should not daven like that as one would not stand before a king like this
Q: should money be collected in a large group to accomplish the concept of "brov am"?
A: this is a very important mitzva, and tzeaka is collected by two people together. There is no need for more than two people. And, breaking into many small groups of two each allows more people to be reached and potentially more to be collected.
Q: can one go through a red light or cross where there is no crosswalk and be assured to be safe because they are in the process of doing a mitzva?
A: chas veshalom. Just the opposite, on Purim people might have been drinking and the danger is ever-present. One should be more careful about the traffic laws. And in addition to that, violating the laws will cause a chilul hashem. And at times, kids see adults crossing against traffic without crosswalks and might follow along, and who will take responsibility for damages?
Q: Normally people should not take donations from women - what is the status of this today?
A: there is no clear rule for this. Normal amounts given can be accepted as it is considered a small amount and not unusual. Especially because women are involved in business today and running the house, the husband is ok with it. It would not be appropriate for bochurim to ask a woman explicitly if her husband is ok with it. They should say we will send a thank you letter to your husband, and if she doesnt protest that it is clear her husband is ok with it.
Q: someone collecting money for the tzedaka discovered some of the money if counterfeit. Should he throw it away or pass it along being likely it wont be caught?
A: counterfeit money has no value so using it in exchange for something else is theft. It is not allowed to be transferred to a non-Jew either. The money should be destroyed
Q: Is there any law about not skipping any buildings and going in order when collecting, so as not to pass over a mitzva?
A: there is no mitzva to collect from any specific building, so this isnt an issue
Q: if a boy wont be able to learn while collecting is that ok because he is doing a mitzva or should he not go out collecting if it will mean he wont learn anything?
A:
the role of a yeshiva boy is to learn Torah. Additionally, one of the mitzvas of the day is to learn a little bit before the seuda. It is difficult to say a boy out collecting is busy with the mitzva all day and therefore exempt from learning. he often takes care of his own needs throughout the day and if he would get a phone call he would surely answer it, so he should definitely also take some time out to learn Torah.
And especially with the mitzva of collecting tzedaka, it requires a lot of responsibility and fear of Heaven, as the potential for problems is great. Learning Torah is part of the collecting tzedaka so it should be done properly and taken seriously.
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