We’ve learned about the prohibition of se’a bese’a that precludes lending items whose value may rise. This scenario has the potential for a ribbis issue in the event the item is returned without deducting the added value.
We also explained that because of this prohibition, one may not borrow or lend a foreign currency unless the borrower owns some of the currency that he is borrowing.
Along these lines, an obvious question that comes to mind is, how can we borrow anything? Don’t potatoes, sugar, and plastic forks all go up in value? We all know that prices have risen significantly, so this is a very real concern.
Someone who borrowed a bottle of oil a year ago borrowed an item valued at about 8–10 shekel. By now the price is more like 10–12 shekel a bottle. Does this mean that the borrower who is returning the oil only now may not return the whole bottle? Must he subtract a bit to render the payment equal to the price at the time of the loan? (Or ask for change?)
Common practice is to borrow and lend almost anything, so what allows all these minor loans? There are three primary leniencies that may be relied upon. Each one can work on its own.
They are:
- The borrower has a bit of the item that he is borrowing.
- The item has a set and standard price that lasts for at least a week.
- The loan is a small amount that people generally are mochel.
For example, it’s a Friday morning and Mrs. Green starts to make Shabbos. She realizes she has only one onion and needs more to finish her cooking. Since she owns one onion it’s fine for her to borrow as many onions as she wants.
If she wants to borrow a bottle of wine that would also be fine. Although she has no wine, this would still be allowed because the price of wine lasts long enough to be considered a set price, (in contrast to vegetables, whose prices constantly fluctuate).
Last, it would also be okay for her to borrow a few potatoes. Although she has none, and there is no set price, it’s still okay because the loan is small enough that people will be mochel a fluctuation in price.
In the coming weeks we will expound on all of these leniencies.
