Parashat Behar פָּרָשַׁת בְּהַר

In this week’s Torah portion, Behar, we read some very well-known passages about the practice of lending money. In fact, three passages in a row discuss this practice. 

Here’s the first:
 
"If your brother becomes destitute and his hand falters beside you, you shall support him [whether] a convert or a resident, so that he can live with you."
 
Notice that the word here is “brother”—but we have to know that “brother” here is not our literal, biological brother but rather our NEIGHBOR. The second part in the passage makes that clear, as it refers to either a “convert” or a “resident.” So, we know that we are obliged to support out neighbor so that she or he will never become destitute.

Now let’s look at the next passage:

"You shall not give him your money with interest, nor shall you give your food with increase."

Here we have an additional obligation imposed on us.  Not only do we have to support our brother; we also have to do so without taking any interest.  It’s also noteworthy that the passage says “INTEREST OR INCREASE.”  Rashi tells us that these two words don’t really mean something different but they do mean that if we take interest, we are really committing two sins in the eyes of God.  

And the final relevant passage:

"And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High."

Three passages right in a row. The messages seem to be similar if not identical.  And the fact that there are three makes pretty clear that the obligation to support one’s neighbor and the prohibition on interest—what we know has been called USURY—is very strong.

Judaism is not the only religion to condemn usury, known also as RIBBIS.  Christianity also condemns the practice.  Here’s one passage from LUKE that I want to share with you:

I don’t know about you, but that sounds a lot like the passages we read from Behar.  And there’s much evidence that Islam and Buddhism also condemn lending of money with interest. Even Dante puts usurers to the seventh circle of hell. But I think we know that the prohibition has been identified with Jews throughout the centuries.  Not only identified with Jews, but also used against Jews, used as a reason to seize property, to expel Jews from places like England and Spain, and, in some cases, to execute Jews.

So, what’s the problem with charging interest?  I think the answer ties to the mitzvah of tzedaka and the hierarchy attached to it.  A borrower faced with high interest on a loan may be too desperate to reject the offer. That much seems clear. But the lender also is harmed in this so-called transaction. The problem with lending with interest is that the lender continues to benefit from the lending, even though the money has now passed on to the other party.  The lender receives profits in return for his or her one-time action, even without any continuing effort on their part. He or she continues to reap benefits.  Along comes the Torah, telling us that we cannot sit back and profit from the misery of others.

They used to say that what singles out an Israeli Army commander is that rather than saying "Forward, soldiers!" they say, "After me!" We see so many of the casualties of the present conflict are drawn from the high-ranking officers of the IDF. In other words, I am with you, I am "one of you." Whatever I taught you, I am doing exactly the same thing myself. Whatever sacrifice you make, I am willing to make as well. We are all together in the same boat.

No matter how much we achieve, or how many others we may help, we must never rest on our laurels. We must never reap gain from the suffering of others.  You probably know that “free loan societies”—gemachs—have always flourished in Jewish communities.  That’s CREDIT in the best sense of the word!