(כד) אִם־כֶּ֣סֶף ׀ תַּלְוֶ֣ה אֶת־עַמִּ֗י אֶת־הֶֽעָנִי֙ עִמָּ֔ךְ לֹא־תִהְיֶ֥ה ל֖וֹ כְּנֹשֶׁ֑ה לֹֽא־תְשִׂימ֥וּן עָלָ֖יו נֶֽשֶׁךְ׃
(24) When you lend money to any of My people, to the poor among you, do not act towards them as a creditor; exact no interest from them.
| When you lend money to My people: Rabbi Ishmael says: Every אִם in the Torah is optional except three, and this is one of them. -[From Mechilta] אִם usually means “if,” which refers to something optional, denoting an incident that may or may not occur. Rashi on Exod. 20:22 explains that in this case, lending money to the needy is obligatory, as in Deut. 15:8. Therefore, in this verse, אִם means “when.”] | אם כסף תלוה את עמי: רבי ישמעאל אומר כל אם ואם שבתורה רשות, חוץ משלושה וזה אחד מהן: | |
| to My people: [If a member of] My people [i.e., an Israelite,] and a gentile [apply for a loan], [the member of] My people takes preference; [if] a poor person and a rich person [apply for a loan], the poor person takes preference; [if] the poor of your city and the poor of another city [apply for a loan], the poor of your city take preference (Mechilta, B.M. 71a), and this is its meaning: “When you lend money,” lend it to “My people” and not to a gentile, and to which of My people? “To the poor person.” And to which poor person? To the one who is “with you.” [I.e., if you have enough money to lend to only one person, lend it to a Jew rather than to a non-Jew. Even if the gentile will pay interest, and you are not allowed to take interest from the Jew, you must lend the money to the Jew (B.M. 71a).] Another meaning: to My people: That you shall not behave toward him [the borrower] in a demeaning manner when you lend to him, for he is [a member of] My people. -[From Tanchuma 15] | את עמי: עמי וגוי, עמי קודם. עני ועשיר, עני קודם. עניי עירך ועניי עיר אחרת, עניי עירך קודמין. וזה משמעו אם כסף תלוה, את עמי תלוהו, ולא לגוי ולאיזה מעמי, את העני, ולאיזה עני לאותו שעמך. דבר אחר את העני, שלא תנהג בו מנהג בזיון בהלוואה, שהוא עמי: | |
| to the poor person [who is] with you: Look at yourself as if you were a poor person.) -[From Tanchuma 15] | את העני עמך: הוי מסתכל בעצמך כאלו אתה העני: | |
| you shall not behave toward him as a lender: You shall not demand it of him forcibly (Tanchuma 9, Exod. Rabbah 31:6). If you know that he does not have [the money to repay you], do not appear to him as if you have lent to him, but as if you have not lent to him; i.e., do not embarrass him. -[From B.M. 75b] | לא תהיה לו כנשה: לא תתבענו בחזקה, אם אתה יודע שאין לו, אל תהי דומה עליו כאלו הלויתו, אלא כאילו לא הלויתו, כלומר לא תכלימהו: | |
| interest: Heb. נֶשֶׁ, lit., biting. Interest, which is like the biting of a snake, which bites by making a small wound in a person’s foot, and he [the person] does not feel [the wound], and suddenly, it spreads and swells up as far as his crown. So it is with interest. He does not feel it, and it is not noticeable until the interest accumulates and it costs him a considerable sum of money. -[From Tanchuma 9, Exod. Rabbah 31:6] | נשך: רבית שהוא כנשיכת נחש, שנושך חבורה קטנה ברגלו ואינו מרגיש, ופתאום הוא מבצבץ ונופח עד קדקדו, כך רבית, אינו מרגיש ואינו ניכר עד שהרבית עולה ומחסרו ממון הרבה: |
(25) If you take your neighbour’s garment in pledge, you must return it to him before the sun sets;
| If you take… as security: Heb. חָבֹל ךְתַּחְבֹּל. No expression of חִבָלָה means security given at the time of the loan, but [that which] is exacted from the debtor when the debt becomes due and he [the debtor] does not pay (B.M. 114). (חָבֹל ךְתַּחְבֹּל the Torah repeats the taking of the security [implying that one may take security] even many times. The Holy One, blessed is He, said: “How much you owe Me! Yet your soul ascends to Me every night, gives an account, is found guilty before Me, and I return it to you. You too, take and return, take and return.” ) -(Tanchuma 16.) | אם חבל תחבל: כל לשון חבלה אינו משכון בשעת הלואה, אלא שממשכנין את הלוה, כשמגיע הזמן ואינו פורע. חבול תחבול כפל לך בחבלה, עד כמה פעמים, אמר הקב"ה כמה אתה חייב לי, והרי נפשך עולה אצלי כל אמש ואמש ונותנת דין וחשבון ומתחייבת לפני, ואני מחזירה לך, אף אתה טול והשב טול והשב: | |
| until sunset you shall return it to him: [For] the entire day you shall return it to him until the sun sets, and when the sun sets you may again take it until the next morning arrives. This verse speaks of a garment worn by day, which he does not need at night. -[From Mechilta, B.M. 114b] | עד בא השמש תשיבנו לו: כל היום תשיבנו לו עד בא השמש, וכבוא השמש תחזור ותטלנו, עד שיבא בקר של מחר, ובכסות יום הכתוב מדבר, שאין צריך לה בלילה: |
(26) it is his only covering, the sole covering for his skin. In what else shall he sleep? Therefore if he cries to Me, I will pay heed for I am compassionate.
| for it is his only covering: This is a cloak. -[From Mechilta] | כי הוא כסותה: זו טלית: | |
| his garment: This is a shirt. -[From Mechilta] | שמלתו: זו חלוק: | |
| With what shall he lie?: [This comes] to include a spread. -[From Mechilta] | במה ישכב: לרבות את המצע: |
(א) מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה לְהַלְווֹת לַעֲנִיֵּי יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כב-כד) "אִם כֶּסֶף תַּלְוֶה אֶת עַמִּי אֶת הֶעָנִי עִמָּךְ". יָכוֹל רְשׁוּת תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (דברים טו-ח) "הַעֲבֵט תַּעֲבִיטֶנּוּ" וְגוֹ'.
וּמִצְוָה זוֹ גְּדוֹלָה מִן הַצְּדָקָה אֶל הֶעָנִי הַשּׁוֹאֵל שֶׁזֶּה כְּבָר נִצְרַךְ לִשְׁאל וְזֶה עֲדַיִן לֹא הִגִּיעַ לְמִדָּה זוֹ. וְהַתּוֹרָה הִקְפִּידָה עַל מִי שֶׁיִּמָּנַע מִלְּהַלְווֹת לֶעָנִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים טו-ט) "וְרָעָה עֵינְךָ בְּאָחִיךָ הָאֶבְיוֹן" וְגוֹ':
It is a positive mitzvah to lend to the poor, as it is said, “You should lend money to my poor, the poor of your people.” One might have thought this was a discretionary act. But the Torah teaches, “You must open your hand and lend him sufficient for whatever he needs” (Deuteronomy 15:8).
And this mitzvah is greater than [giving] tzedakah to the poor who ask for it, for he is already at the stage where he must ask, while this one has not yet reached that stage. And the Torah specifically rebukes one who refrains from loaning [to the poor in this manner], as it is said, “[If] you are mean to your kinsman and give him nothing, he will cry out to God against you, and you will incur guilt.” (Deuteronomy 15:9)
(ב) כָּל הַנּוֹגֵשׂ הֶעָנִי וְהוּא יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁאֵין לוֹ מַה יַּחֲזִיר לוֹ עוֹבֵר בְּלֹא תַּעֲשֶׂה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כב-כד) "לֹא תִהְיֶה לוֹ כְּנשֶׁה". וּמִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה לִנְגּשֹׁ אֶת הָעַכּוּ''ם וּלְהָצֵר לוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים טו-ג) "לַנָּכְרִי תִּגּשֹׁ" מִפִּי הַשְּׁמוּעָה לָמְדוּ שֶׁזּוֹ מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה:
Anyone who presses a poor person [to pay back a loan], knowing that he [the poor person has nothing with which to pay him back violates a negative commandment, for the Torah says: “Do not act towards him [a poor person] as a creditor.” (Exodus 22:24)
(ג) אָסוּר לָאָדָם לְהַרְאוֹת עַצְמוֹ לְבַעַל חוֹבוֹ בִּזְמַן שֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ שֶׁאֵין לוֹ. אֲפִלּוּ לַעֲבֹר לְפָנָיו שֶׁלֹּא יַפְחִידוֹ אוֹ יַכְלִימוֹ אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ תּוֹבְעוֹ וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר אִם תְּבָעוֹ.
וּכְשֵׁם שֶׁאָסוּר לְזֶה לִתְבֹּעַ כָּךְ אָסוּר לַלּוֶֹה לִכְבּשׁ מָמוֹן חֲבֵרוֹ שֶׁבְּיָדוֹ וְלוֹמַר לוֹ לֵךְ וְשׁוּב וְהוּא שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי ג-כח) "אַל תֹּאמַר לְרֵעֲךָ לֵךְ וְשׁוּב".
וְכֵן אָסוּר לַלּוֶֹה לִקַּח הַלְוָאָה וּלְהוֹצִיאָהּ שֶׁלֹּא לְצֹרֶךְ וּלְאַבְּדָהּ עַד שֶׁלֹּא יִמְצָא בַּעַל חוֹב מֵאַיִן יִגְבֶּה אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַמַּלְוֶה עָשִׁיר גָּדוֹל.
וְעוֹשֶׂה זֶה רָשָׁע הוּא שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים לז-כא) "לוֶֹה רָשָׁע וְלֹא יְשַׁלֵּם". וְצִוּוּ חֲכָמִים (משנה אבות ב-יב) "יְהִי מָמוֹן חֲבֵרְךָ חָבִיב עָלֶיךָ כְּשֶׁלָּךְ":
It is forbidden for a person to appear before someone indebted to him when he [the creditor] knows that he [the debtor] has nothing. Even to pass by him is forbidden so as not to frighten him or embarrass him, even though he [the creditor] is not claiming his money back and all the more so if he is trying [to collect the loan.]
And just as it is forbidden for this one [the creditor] to claim [the loan when he knows the debtor cannot pay him], so it is forbidden for that one [the debtor] to keep the money of his friend in his hand and say to him “Go and come back [another day]” when he has the money [to pay him back], as the Bible says: “Do not say to your fellow: ‘come back again, I’ll give it to you tomorrow’ when you have it with you.” (Proverbs 3:28).
It is similarly forbidden for the borrower to take a loan and spend it for unnecessary things and to waste it such that the creditor will never be able to collect it, even if the creditor is very rich.
One who does this is an evil person, as it says: “The wicked person borrows and does not repay.” (Psalms 37:21). The Sages commanded “Let your friends money be as dear to you as your own.” (Ethics of the Fathers 2:12) [2:17 in some editions.]