The process of maaser beheimah, tithing of animals, is unique indeed. The entire newborn herd or flock is put into a corral with a narrow opening, and the animals are permitted to leave one by one. The owner then touches each tenth animal with a paint-daubed stick, designating it as maaser. This procedure is enigmatic. Why can he not simply take one tenth of his herd and give it away as maaser? Is this process not cumbersome? Horav Shlomo Aharonson, zl, once posed this question to two brothers who were renown for their philanthropic work. The Rav had approached the…
