Dear Rabbi, My husband just recently started keeping Shabbat, and a week ago worked on Shabbat. This is because he had promised to do this job months before he started keeping Shabbat and had a very difficult time canceling since it was for a family member and she most likely would have been very angry at him for canceling just a few weeks before her very important event. He ended up doing the job, on Shabbat and earned money in the process. Now he is keeping Shabbat again and we are wondering whether or not we are allowed to use the money he earned. Is this money "cursed" or forbidden to use, considering it was earned by working on Shabbat? What should we do with this money? We wanted to give 10% as a Maaser to a synagogue, would that be an issue as well to donate it there? Thank you in advance for your help. .

ב"ה Shalom It gave me great pleasure to learn of your joint endeavors to keep Shabbat, especially at this time, when the Jewish people are in the battlefield and every additional merit is needed. May Hashem bless you to continue in this positive trend. Your question is an important one. Our Rabbis forbade receiving salary for work done on Shabbat even if the work itself does not desecrate Shabbat. (Shulchan Aruch 306: 4) This decree was instituted to prevent people from dealing with commerce on Shabbat. However, if people do work which is permitted on Shabbat such as catering for a Kiddush which entails setting up and serving which are permitted on Shabbat, they may get paid for the work on Shabbat when the payment for Shabbat is included with other hours of work which were not done on Shabbat. This is called "B'havla'ah" in Jewish law, which means the money was not given distinctively for the work done on Shabbat. If someone did get paid for work done on Shabbat, one may NOT benefit from that money in any way. In fact, some say the money should be tossed into the sea. (Ritva Avoda Zara 26a) Therefore, regarding the money your husband earned, it can go in one of two ways. If the payment to your husband included a few hours of work, which were not done on Shabbat, the money may be benefitted from. (Piskei Teshuvot 243:6). If, on the other hand, the payment was for work done on Shabbat only, the money earned cannot be used by anybody. However, Rav Moshe Feinstein zt'l (Igrot Moshe Vol. 4:59, Piskei Teshuvot 243:8 note 62) said, that one may give the money to Tzedaka =charity with the clear conditions that it is given anonymously and he has no benefit or recognition for the money given. ה' עוז לעמו יתן ה' יברך את עמו בשלום All the best