Pensée juive sur L’Exode 22:24

After all these lessons, the Torah repeats that instead of extending help only in return for interest charges, a relationship of mutual brotherhood or partnership is expected from Jew towards fellow Jew. (25,35-37) Love is an emotion that loses in intensity the more all embracing and comprehensive it becomes. If the common denominator between people is only the fact that they belong to the same species, that cannot be too strong a bond, although it is still a stronger bond than that between man and other parts of nature. When Ruth, the Moabite, was amazed at the kindness Boaz showed her, this was because she felt she had absolutely no claim on him, seeing the was an alien. (Ruth 2, 10) Love between people who know each other is stronger; love between relatives is still stronger. Self love is strongest and least complicated. Therefore, the Torah asks that one loves one's fellow Jew in the same manner as one loves oneself. In this instance, even the resident stranger is included in the yardstick the Torah asks us to apply to our love relationship with fellow Jews. We had stated elsewhere that the verse "if you loan money to any of My people, the poor, you must not be to him like a creditor; neither shall you impose interest charges" (Exodus 22,24), is to be understood as follows. If you do not do your duty and give to your fellow Jew, but you merely loan him, then at least you must not charge interest. Else, you would be treating him like a gentile. The reason that making a charge for lending tools, animals etc. is in order, whereas taking interest on money loaned is not, is quite simple. Money is given to be spent. It is usually required to repay debts or to supply urgent necessities of life. If an interest charge is imposed, the borrower will wind up owing even more than before. Instead of having helped him, one may cause the borrower to wind up in a worse position than before he had accepted the loan. The lender, on the other hand, expects his reward to come from G'd, not from the borrower. (Proverbs 19,17) "He who is gracious to the poor, actually lends to G'd, who will recompense him." When the Torah warns "you shall fear the Lord your G'd," it addresses itself to those who refuse to lend free of interest, and thereby exhibit their lack of faith in G'ds promise that He will recompense the lender for the advance that he made on G'ds behalf.

And in the Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 31:3): If you lend money to My people (Exodus 22:24). That is [the understanding of] what is written: There is a grave evil that I have seen under the sun: Wealth kept for its owner to his detriment. That wealth is lost in an ill-fated matter (Ecclesiastes 5:12–13). Happy is the person who withstands his ordeal, as there is no person whom the Holy One blessed be He, does not subject to an ordeal. He tests the wealthy as to whether he will be generous to the poor. He tests the poor as to whether he is able to withstand suffering without becoming angry, as it is stated: And bring the wretched poor to your home (Isaiah 58:7). If the wealthy person withstands his ordeal and performs acts of charity, he will benefit from his wealth in this world, and the principal remains intact for him in the World to Come, and the Holy One blessed be He rescues him from the sentence of Gehenna, as it is stated: Happy is one who attends to the indigent; the Lord will deliver him in times of trouble (Psalms 41:2). If the poor person withstands his ordeal and does not rebel, he will receive a double portion in the future, as it is stated: For it is You who will deliver the poor people (Psalms 18:28). From who do you learn [this]? From Job, who was afflicted in this world, and the Holy One, blessed be He, paid him back twice, as it is stated: The Lord added to Job double of everything that he had (Job 42:10). To here [is Shemot Rabbah]. And it means to say that what the Holy One, blessed be He, gave to Job was a taste of the World to Come. And it is like they said in the first chapter of Bava Batra (15b), "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing beside them (Job 1:14), teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, gave Job a taste of the World to Come. And it appears to me that its explanation is that everything was done by itself. As the oxen would plow by themselves without any [human] toil with them [in order] to plow. Rather, they would plow by themselves. And that is a taste of the World to Come since there will be no toil of work or pain [then]. Rather, everything will be done by itself. And Rashi, may his memory be blessed, explained that the oxen would plow, and [the field] would sprout that very hour, then the donkeys would graze from what sprouted. In any event, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave Job a taste of the World to Come from the beginning. And when Job accepted [his] afflictions, He then afterwards added to Job double of everything that he had before of the taste of the World to Come. And from this, we learn that if the poor person accepts the afflictions, God, may He be blessed, gives him his reward doubled in the World to Come, like He gave Job his reward of a taste in the World to Come doubled.

Your mission, however, is not limited by the walls of your house; beyond their limits you must assist with every particle of your strength wherever it is necessary to save the life, the property, or the happiness of a human being, to assist the enterprise of a fellow man with your strength or fortune, or to help suffering creatures of the lower order wherever you can, by the use of your wealth, your physical or intellectual strength, or your word, support the needy, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, console the mourning, heal the sick, care for the unprovided, advise those in need of counsel, teach the ignorant, reconcile those sundered by anger and quarrel — in a word, to be a blessing whenever and wherever you can.