Parashat Behar

Parasha Thoughts

Do not take from him interest and increase, and you shall fear your God; and let your brother live with you. (Vayikra 25:26)

Why are we forbidden to charge interest? After all, the very same money could have been invested or put into a bank account; lending it to a fellow Jew causes one to lose that additional income.

When a person’s brother needs financial help, he does not take into account losses that might result from coming to his brother’s aid. The lender should have the same outlook when lending money to any Jew in need, and this act of chessed should be performed without any thought of remuneration.

If we are commanded to ensure that our fellow Jew has an adequate material life, how much more so must we ensure that he has the ability to live an adequate spiritual life. If a fellow Jew is having difficulty with any aspect of Yiddishkeit we are obligated to offer our assistance.

Every Jew is a brother or sister. We must relate to our fellow Jews no differently from the way we would relate to our closest relatives, both in material and spiritual matters. What would one not do for a sibling? Let’s bear this in mind the next time we are asked to do a chessed.

 

-Harav Shlomo Wolbe

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