Interest-Free Loan (Gemach)

Lending money is the highest form of charity, far greater than giving handouts. A handout may preserve a life for a day, but a loan preserves that sense of self-sufficiency necessary to get back on your feet.

Yisrael lived in Ramat Gan, Israel, where he had his own little house and small farm. He was a chicken farmer and had enough laying chickens to provide him with a modest income for himself and family. He was neither rich nor poor, but he was very generous...

Why does the Torah forbid lending money with interest? The "Culture of Dependency" created by many welfare states can provide some insight in this area...

Besides the lack of confidence in my abilities, from where would the funds magically appear?

My neighbor, Chava, puts the dislocated arms of children back in place. A parent comes with their child in tow. They knock on the door, Chava opens it, looks down and knows exactly what the problem is. She takes the affected arm and maneuvers it in a cert...

The Torah prohibits a Jew from borrowing, lending or being a party to a transaction that involves charging another Jew interest.

G-d treats us as we treat others.

At the age of eleven, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak was thrown in jail for helping a fellow Jew. This story is indicative of the pattern that the rest of his life would follow.

Just as a guarantor for a loan knows that he can be called on at any time to make good his pledge, so too we've got to educate children to appreciate and live up to their responsibilities...