When Jews move to Israel, they’re privileged to begin keeping more mitzvos. The most obvious one is yishuv Eretz Yisrael, but the list also includes shemittah and other mitzvos such as terumos and ma’asros.
There is yet another mitzvah – one that is usually overlooked – that comes up in Israel, although its violation is more serious than any of the above. While it isn’t intrinsically connected to Israel, on a practical level, it’s far more relevant here than in the Diaspora. I refer to the issur of ribbbis, the prohibition of interest.
The issur of ribbis applies only to transactions that occur between two Jews. Therefore, outside of Israel, it doesn’t come up so often. However, in Israel, barely a day goes by without encountering a potential issur ribbis.
Every bank account holder can potentially be violating ribbis. Taking a mortgage or bank loan? That’s potential ribbis. Electric, water and gas bills paid late accrue interest, which is ribbis. Every legal employee in Israel has a pension fund; unless he or she specifically requests otherwise, the money may end up in a fund that is in violation of ribbis.
Every child under eighteen has money set aside for him or her in an automatic fund set up by Bituach Leumi, many of which aren’t ribbis free. Even the simple act of lending foreign currency, whether dollars, pounds, or euros, can often involve a violation of ribbis d’rabbanan.
The issur of ribbis is unique in its severity. It is the only issur whose violation precludes the transgressor from techiyas hamaysim (Shemos Raba 31:6). And the contrast is true as well. The Torah promises, “Do not bite [a reference to ribbis] your brother so that Hashem will bless you in all your endeavors in Eretz Yisrael.” (Devarim 23: 21) One who is vigilant in this mitzvah merits success in this world as in the next.
The Torah requires a Jew to lend money to his Jewish brother without using the opportunity to extort more money. And this issur isn’t the sole domain of the lender; the borrower is prohibited to borrow with ribbis as well.
We who merit to live in Israel must take extra care to avoid lending or borrowing with ribbis. In the coming weeks we will discuss various common scenarios and how to prevent transgressing this prohibition.
