Rabbi Yohanan met the young son of Resh Lakish. He said to him: tell me your verse. He said: (Deuteronomy 14:22) "You shall surely tithe [asser te'asser]." He said to him: explain it to me, master. The child said: give a tenth [asser] so that you may grow rich [titasher, reading asser te'asser]. He said: but is it not written "you shall not test the LORD"? The child said: thus Rabbi Oshaya told me—except in this matter, as it is written (Malachi 3:10) "Bring all the tithe into the storehouse, and test Me now in this, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing until there is no more need [ad beli dai]"—until your lips grow weary [yivlu, reading beli] from saying "enough" [dai]. On another day he met him and said: tell me your verse. He said: (Proverbs 19:3) "The foolishness of a man perverts his way, and his heart rages against the LORD." Rabbi Yohanan sat marveling: is there a matter written in the Writings that Moses did not hint at in the Torah? The child said to him: and is this not so? Did Moses not hint at it? Is it not written "and their heart went out and they trembled, each man to his brother, saying, what is this that God has done to us" (Genesis 42:28)? The child lifted his eyes and stared at him. His mother said to him: come away, lest he do to you what he did to your father.
Give a Tenth So That You May Grow Rich
Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 149:1
רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אַשְׁכְּחֵיהּ לְיָנוּקָא דְּרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ אָמַר לֵיהּ אֵימָא לִי פְּסוּקָךְ. אָמַר לֵיהּ, (דברים יד, כב) "עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר". אָמַר לֵיהּ, לִפְרִישׁ לִי מַר אָמַר לֵיהּ, עַשֵּׂר בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁתִּתְעַשֵּׁר. וְהָכְתִיב "לֹא תְנַסּוּ אֶת ה'". אָמַר לֵיהּ, הָכִי אָמַר לִי רַבִּי אוֹשַׁעְיָא, חוּץ מִזּוֹ דִּכְתִיב (מלאכי ג, י) "הָבִיאוּ אֶת כָּל הַמַּעֲשֵׂר אֶל בֵּית הָאוֹצָר וּבְחָנוּנִי נָא בָּזֹאת אִם לֹא אֶפְתַּח לָכֶם אֵת אֲרֻבּוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם וַהֲרִיקֹתִי לָכֶם בְּרָכָה עַד בְּלִי דָי", עַד שֶׁיִּבְלוּ שִׂפְתוֹתֵיכֶם [מִ]לּוֹמַר דַּי. יוֹמָא אַחֲרִינָא אַשְׁכְּחֵיהּ, אָמַר לֵיהּ, אֵימָא לִי פְּסוּקָךְ. אָמַר לֵיהּ (משלי יט, ג) "אִוֶּלֶת אָדָם תְּסַלֵּף דַּרְכּוֹ וְעַל ה' יִזְעַף לִבּוֹ" הֲוָה קָא מְתַמַּה, מִי אִכָּא מִלְתָא בַּכְּתוּבִים דְּלָא רְמָזָהּ משֶׁה בְּאוֹרַיְתָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ, אָטוּ הָא מִי לֹא רְמָזָהּ משֶׁה, וְהָכְתִיב וַיֵּצֵא לִבָּם וַיֶּחֶרְדוּ אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו לֵאמֹר מַה זֹּאת עָשָׂה אֱלֹהִים לָנוּ. דַּלְיָא עֵינֵיהּ וְחַזְיֵהּ אָמְרָה לֵיהּ אִמֵּיהּ, תָּא, דְּלָא לֵעֵבִיד בָּךְ כִּדְעָבִיד לְאָבוּךְ.