(35) If your fellow Jew is in a bad financial situation and you are in a position to do something about it then let them live by your side as if he or she were a foreign beggar by lending them money.
(36) Just don't take any interest, lend the money at no charge, and show fear towards your God. Let the person live by your side as your brother.
The Gemara asks: How does Rabbi Yoḥanan, understnd this verse: “And your brother shall live by you”? The Gemara answers:
If two people were walking in the dessert and there was a jug of water in the possession of one of them, and the situation was so bad that if both drink from the jug, both will die. There is not enough water, but if only one of them drinks, he will reach a settled area.
There is an argument as to the law here. Ben Petora taught: It is preferable that both of them drink and die, and let neither one of them see the death of the other. This was the accepted opinion until Rabbi Akiva came and taught that the verse states: “And your brother shall live with you,” indicating that your life takes precedence over the life of the other.