Malveh veLoveh

HILCHOT MALVEH V'LOVEH

THE LAWS PERTAINING TO LENDERS AND BORROWERS

They contain twelve mitzvot: four positive commandments and eight negative commandments. They are:

1) to lend to a poor and destitute person;

2) not to press him for collection;

3) to press a gentile for collection of a debt he owes;

4) not to forcibly take collateral from a borrower;

e to return collateral to its owner when he requires it;

5) not to delay giving the collateral to the poor man who owns it when he requires it;

6) not to take collateral from a widow;

7) not to take utensils used to prepare food as collateral;

8) that a lender should not loan at interest;

9) that a borrower should not take a loan given at interest;

10) that no one should be involved with the lender and the borrower of a loan given at interest - not to serve as a witness between them, not to draw up a promissory note, nor to serve as a guarantor;

11) to borrow and lend money to a gentile at interest.

These mitzvot are explained in the following chapters.