Last week we raised the issue of the borrower thanking his lender for the loan. As we mentioned, this isn’t an easy halacha to keep. As Yidden, we intuitively wish to express our very real feelings of gratitude. 

There’s an interesting story about Rav Shimon Schwab, zt”l, that addresses this point. As a bachur he traveled from Frankfurt to learn in Yeshivas Mir. Before returning home for a visit, he borrowed money from the mashgiach, Rav Yerucham Levovitz, to cover his traveling expenses. When he returned to yeshiva, he went to the mashgiach, repaid his debt, and thanked him. Rav Yerucham sternly told him off for this breach of halacha. 

A year passed, and once again young Shimon borrowed from and repaid Rav Yerucham. This time, however, he remained quiet. As he walked away, Rav Yerucham admonished him. “Where is your gratitude to someone who helped you?” he asked.

“Well, what I should do?” the bachur replied. “When I thanked you, you told me that it’s forbidden to do that, and now, when I remain quiet, you say that I should thank you?” 

“Although it is forbidden to thank your lender verbally, having good middos requires that that you be filled with hakaras hatov within,” Rav Yerucham explained. “But when I looked into your eyes, I did not see this in you.”

Feeling real gratitude within but being careful not to express it verbally is the way one can have hakaras hatov toward his lender and still not transgress any halachos. 

The prohibition against thanking and praising the lender is known as ribbis devarim, which simply means giving interest with words. This includes any non-monetary-valued benefits. For example, the borrower who previously ignored his lender may not begin greeting him and going over to him to say good Shabbos and mazel tov. However, if the loan served simply as an opportunity for the borrower to get to know the lender, and he now greets him like any other acquaintance of his, it would be fine, because his greetings are not meant to express gratitude for the loan. 

This prohibition against ribbis devarim is limited only to the duration of the loan. Once the loan has been fully repaid, the borrower can bestow non-monetary benefits on his lender as long as he does not say that he is doing this in appreciation for the loan.