When making an appeal for a Tzedoka cause in Shul, can the gabbai or anyone else pledge more than he plans to give in order to encourage others to give a higher amount? The justification is, that it is not a real pledge since he never planned on honoring it. The Minchas Yitzchok (3:97) says definitely not. He quotes a gemara (Succah 29a) that says that peoples’ money is taken away by the government because of 4 aveiros. One of them being, promising money for tzedoka and not giving it. The Maharsha explains this to mean exactly our scenario, where gabbaim or other leaders pledge more than they plan on giving in order to raise the bar for the others. Therefore says the Minchas Yitzchok since you see that the gemara considers this a serious aveira with severe consequences it should not be done.
He brings a story from the Yerushalmi where 300 Nezirim came to Shimon Ben Shetach looking for a way out because they could not afford the cost of the required Korbonos (Olah, Chatas, and Shelamim for each Nazir at the end of his nezirus). He was able to find a way out of the Nezirus for 150 of them. The other 150 were stuck. His brother in law Yannai HaMelech came by and Shimon told him that there are 300 Nezirim who need to bring 900 Korbonos. He suggested they split the tab and each provide 450 korbonos for the nezirim. When Yannai heard that he was fooled since there were only 150 nezirim remaining, Shimon ran away. When Yannai’s men caught him and brought him before Yannai, Yannai asked him why he lied. Shimon answered that in fact he told the truth. Yannai would provide half with animals to fulfill their obligation while Shimon provided a solution for the other half with his Torah knowledge.
The Minchas Yitzchok suggests that from here we learn that without any alibi it would have been assur for Shimon to flat out lie in order to get Yannai to cover the whole cost. Although he says, this may not be good proof since he only suggested his alibi to pacify Yannai.
Author’s Note: We try to convey the Tshuva to the best of our ability. We admit that our understanding may not be accurate. Please also understand that this Tshuva may not be the final word on this topic. One should consult a Rav before drawing any conclusions. Revach.