| 24When you lend money, lend first to My people, to the poor person in your locality. You must not act toward him like a creditor. You may not charge him interest. |
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כדאִם־כֶּ֣סֶף | תַּלְוֶ֣ה אֶת־עַמִּ֗י אֶת־הֶֽעָנִי֙ עִמָּ֔ךְ לֹא־תִֽהְיֶ֥ה ל֖וֹ כְּנשֶׁ֑ה לֹֽא־תְשִׂימ֥וּן עָלָ֖יו נֶֽשֶׁךְ: |
| אִם־כֶּסֶף תַּלְוֶה אֶת־עַמִּי - When you lend money to My people. Rabbi Yishmael says: Every instance of אִם written in the Torah regarding a commandment means “if” and signifies that the commandment is optional, except for three cases where אִם means “when,” as the commandment is obligatory, and this is one of them. |
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אִם־כֶּסֶף תַּלְוֶה אֶת־עַמִּי.
רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר כָּל אִם וְאִם שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה רְשׁוּת חוּץ מִשְּׁלֹשָׁה, וְזֶה אֶחָד מֵהֶן (מכילתא):
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| אֶת־עַמִּי - My people. If you have a choice of lending to My people or a non-Jew – My people take precedence; to a poor person or to a rich person – the poor person takes precedence; to your own family’s poor or to the poor of your city – your own family’s poor take precedence; to the poor of your city or to the poor of another city – the poor of your city take precedence. And this is how this explanation is derived in the text: “When you lend money (אִם כֶּסֶף תַּלְוֶה),” you must lend it to “My people” (אֶת עַמִּי) and not to a non-Jew. And to whom of My people? “To the poor person (אֶת הֶעָנִי).” And to which poor person? To the one who is עִמָּךְ – (lit.) “with you” – one of your family or one in your city. Another explanation: “the poor person”. means: You must not treat the recipient disrespectfully when you lend him, for he is one of My people. |
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אֶת־עַמִּי.
עַמִּי וְגוֹי עַמִּי קוֹדֵם, עָנִי וְעָשִׁיר עָנִי קוֹדֵם, עֲנִיֶּיךָ וַעֲנִיֵּי עִירְךָ עֲנִיֶּיךָ קוֹדְמִין, עֲנִיֵּי עִירְךָ וַעֲנִיֵּי עִיר אַחֶרֶת עֲנִיֵּי עִירְךָ קוֹדְמִין; וְזֶה מַשְׁמָעוֹ: אִם כֶּסֶף תַּלְוֶה – אֶת עַמִּי תַּלְוֵהוּ וְלֹא לְגוֹי, וּלְאֵיזֶה מֵעַמִּי? אֶת הֶעָנִי, וּלְאֵיזֶה עָנִי? לְאוֹתוֹ שֶׁעִמָּךְ. (דָּבָר אַחֵר, אֶת עַמִּי, שֶׁלֹּא תִנְהַג בּוֹ בִּזָּיוֹן בְּהַלְוָאָה שֶׁהוּא עַמִּי:
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| אֶת־הֶֽעָנִי עִמָּךְ - (lit.) To the poor person with you - means: Consider yourself as though you were the poor person. |
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אֶת־הֶֽעָנִי עִמָּךְ.
הֱוֵי מִסְתַּכֵּל בְּעַצְמְךָ כְּאִלּוּ אַתָּה עָנִי:
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| לֹא־תִֽהְיֶה לוֹ כְּנשֶׁה - You must not act toward him like a creditor - i.e., you must not forcibly demand payment from him. Furthermore, if you know that he has no money to pay, do not make yourself appear to him as if you had lent him; rather, act toward him as if you had not lent him; in other words: do not embarrass him. |
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לֹא־תִֽהְיֶה לוֹ כְּנשֶׁה.
לֹא תִתְבָּעֶנּוּ בְּחָזְקָה. אִם אַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁאֵין לוֹ, אַל תְּהִי דּוֹמֶה עָלָיו כְּאִלּוּ הִלְוִיתוֹ אֶלָּא כְאִלּוּ לֹא הִלְוִיתוֹ, כְּלוֹמַר לֹא תַכְלִימֵהוּ:
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| נֶֽשֶׁךְ - Interest is so called because it is like the bite (נְשִׁיכָה) of a snake, which bites a small wound in the victim’s foot that he does not feel, but suddenly it spreads and swells all the way up to the crown of his head; so it is with interest: the borrower does not feel it and it goes unnoticed, until the interest mounts up and makes him lose a large amount of money. |
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נֶֽשֶׁךְ.
רִבִּית, שֶׁהוּא כִנְשִׁיכַת נָחָשׁ שֶׁנוֹשֵׁךְ חַבּוּרָה קְטַנָּה בְּרַגְלוֹ וְאֵינוֹ מַרְגִּישׁ, וּפִתְאֹם הוּא מְבַטְבֵּט וְנוֹפֵחַ עַד קָדְקֳדוֹ, כָּךְ רִבִּית אֵינוֹ מַרְגִּישׁ וְאֵינוֹ נִכָּר עַד שֶׁהָרִבִּית עוֹלָה וּמְחַסְּרוֹ מָמוֹן הַרְבֵּה (תנחומא):
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| 25If you repeatedly take your fellow’s day-garment as collateral, you must return it to him every morning, letting him keep it until sunset, |
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כהאִם־חָבֹ֥ל תַּחְבֹּ֖ל שַׂלְמַ֣ת רֵעֶ֑ךָ עַד־בֹּ֥א הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ תְּשִׁיבֶ֥נּוּ לֽוֹ: |
| אִם־חָבֹל תַּחְבֹּל - If you repeatedly take…collateral. The root חבל invariably does not refer to collateral taken at the time of lending, but to taking collateral from the borrower when the time of payment comes and he does not pay. By doubling the verb חבל תחבל the Torah tells you to repeatedly take collateral and return it, even several times. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Look how much you are indebted to Me! Does not your soul ascend to Me each and every night, and it gives account of its actions and is found to be in debt to Me, yet I still return it to you each day. You, too, take collateral from the poor person and return it; take it and return it. |
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אִם־חָבֹל תַּחְבֹּל.
כָּל לְשׁוֹן חֲבָלָה אֵינוֹ מַשְׁכּוֹן בִּשְׁעַת הַלְוָאָה, אֶלָּא שֶׁמְּמַשְׁכְּנִין אֶת הַלֹּוֶה כְּשֶׁמַּגִּיעַ הַזְּמַן וְאֵינוֹ פוֹרֵעַ; (חָבֹל תַּחְבֹּל – כְּפֹל לְךָ בַּחֲבָלָה עַד כַּמָּה פְעָמִים; אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כַּמָּה אַתָּה חַיָּב לִי, וַהֲרֵי נַפְשְׁךָ עוֹלָה אֶצְלִי כָּל אֶמֶשׁ וָאֶמֶשׁ וְנוֹתֶנֶת דִּין וּמִתְחַיֶּבֶת לְפָנַי וַאֲנִי מַחֲזִירָהּ לְךָ, אַף אַתָּה טֹל וְהָשֵׁב טֹל וְהָשֵׁב:
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| עַד־בֹּא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ תְּשִׁיבֶנּוּ לֽוֹ - You must return it to him until sunset - i.e., you must return it to him for the entire day until sunset, and at sunset you may take it again until daybreak of the next day, for the verse is speaking about a daytime garment, which he does not need at night. |
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עַד־בֹּא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ תְּשִׁיבֶנּוּ לֽוֹ.
כָּל הַיּוֹם תְּשִׁיבֶנּוּ לוֹ עַד בֹּא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, וּכְבֹא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ תַּחֲזֹר וְתִטְּלֶנּוּ עַד שֶׁיָּבֹא בֹּקֶר שֶׁל מָחָר; וּבִכְסוּת יוֹם הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר, שֶׁאֵין צָרִיךְ לָהּ בַּלַּיְלָה (מכילתא, בבא מציעא קי"ד):
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| 26for this alone is his cloak, the garment for his skin. With what should he lie down? When he cries out to Me, I will listen, for I am compassionate. |
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כוכִּ֣י הִ֤וא כְסוּת֙וֹ (כתיב כסותה) לְבַדָּ֔הּ הִ֥וא שִׂמְלָת֖וֹ לְעֹר֑וֹ בַּמֶּ֣ה יִשְׁכָּ֔ב וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־יִצְעַ֣ק אֵלַ֔י וְשָֽׁמַעְתִּ֖י כִּֽי־חַנּ֥וּן אָֽנִי: |
| כִּי הִוא כסותה - For this is (lit.) his garment. This is his outer cloak. |
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כִּי הִוא כסותה.
זוֹ טַלִּית:
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| שִׂמְלָתוֹ - This refers to a shirt worn next to the skin. |
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שִׂמְלָתוֹ.
זֶה חָלוּק:
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| בַּמֶּה יִשְׁכָּב - With what should he lie down?. This includes a couch. |
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בַּמֶּה יִשְׁכָּב.
לְרַבּוֹת אֶת הַמַּצָּע (מכילתא):
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