מדרש על משלי 28:8

Whoever lends at interest lusts for money; (according to Prov. 28:22:) HE DOES NOT KNOW THAT POVERTY WILL COME TO HIM. The Holy One is angry with him and causes him to perish from the world. What is written above on the matter (in Exod. 22:23 [24])? MY WRATH WILL BURN…. When? (Vs. 24 [25]:) IF YOU LEND TO MY PEOPLE. This text is related (to Prov. 28:8): THE ONE WHO AUGMENTS HIS WEALTH BY INTEREST. How? <When> Israel wanted to borrow from him [and a foreigner wanted to borrow from him], he said: It is better for me to lend to a foreigner from whom I shall get usury. So he made him a loan. It is about him that Solomon cries out (in Prov. 28:8): THE ONE WHO AUGMENTS HIS WEALTH [BY INTEREST AND USURY AMASSES IT FOR ONE WHO IS GENEROUS TO THE POOR]. Who is being GENEROUS TO THE POOR? This is Esau. But is Esau GENEROUS TO THE POOR? It is simply that, when the empire becomes jealous of him, it takes his money and with it provides for the needs of the many, <i.e.> paved roads²⁴Lat.: stratae. and public buildings.²⁵Gk.: demosia. Ergo (in Prov. 28:8): <HE> AMASSES IT FOR ONE WHO IS GENEROUS TO THE POOR.

(Fol. 70 b) (Prov. 28, 8) He that increaseth his wealth by interest and usury, will gather it for him, that will be kind to the poor. What is meant by the expression, that he will be kind to the poor? Said Rab: "For example, as the King Sabura, who collects money from the Israelites for the purpose of distributing it among the poor of the Persians."

Rabbi Isaac interpreted the verse (Prov. 28:22) with reference to the one who lends to an Israelite at interest and is too miserly to lend it without interest. (Prov. 8:22) HE DOES NOT KNOW THAT POVERTY WILL COME TO HIM, that it is written (in Prov. 28:8): THE ONE WHO AUGMENTS HIS WEALTH BY INTEREST AND USURY AMASSES IT FOR ONE WHO IS GENEROUS TO THE POOR. Who is the one that is generous to the poor? This is Esau the Wicked. Is Esau the Wicked generous to the poor? Rather does he not oppress the poor? He is like those procurators¹³Gk.: epitropoi. who go out to the villages and plunder tenants. Then they go back to the capital and say: Gather the poor, because we want to perform a good work for them. [The <Aramaic> adage] says: <She> commits adultery for apples, and distributes to the sick, {which means <in Hebrew>: The harlot buys apples and distributes to the sick}.¹⁴Cf. Exod. R. 31:17 (end); Lev. R. 3:1.

(Deut. 14:22:) “You shall surely tithe.” This text is related (to Prov. 28:22), “An evil-eyed person (i.e., a miser) moves quickly after wealth; [and he does not know that loss will come to him].” R. Hanina interpreted the verse with reference to Ephron (of Gen. 23).⁴Tanh. (Buber), Exod. 6:5; Lev. 9:1; Gen. R. 58:7; Exod. R. 31:17; PRK 10:1; see also BM 87a. Cf. above, Tanh. (Buber), Exod. 6:13, which identifies the man with Cain. For R. Hanina said, “All the shekels mentioned in the Torah are sela, those in the prophets are litrai,⁵The Greek word means “pounds.” and those in the writings are centenarii,⁶The Latin word denotes weights of a hundred pounds. except for the shekels of Ephron, which are not centenarii.⁷For this valuation of the shekel, see yQid. 1:3 (59d), 5 (60c); Bekh. 50a; PR 1:4. This is what is written (in Gen. 23:9), ‘let him give it to me at the full price.’” Because he brought the evil eye (of greed) into Abraham's wealth, the written text lacks the letter waw. This is what is written (in Gen. 23:15), “My lord, listen to me, what is a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver between you and me?” He said to him, “If you want to give me four hundred centenarii of silver from the goods of your house, you can give it to me.” Because he brought in an evil eye (i.e., of greed) into Abraham's wealth, [his name] is lacking the letter waw, where it is stated (in Gen. 23:16), “So Abraham heeded Ephron, and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron. It is the second Ephron that is written deficient. R. [Ammi] interpreted the verse (Prov. 28:22) with reference to one who borrows a cow. Since he was too miserly to rent two cows, he borrowed one and rented one. And (according to Prov. 28:22) “he does not know that loss will come to him”; that it is written (in Exod. 22:13), “[When someone borrows an animal from his neighbor and it is injured or dies,] and its owner is not with it, he shall surely pay.” R. Isaac interpreted the verse (Prov. 28:22) with reference to the one who lends to an Israelite at interest and is too miserly to lend it without interest, and (Prov. 8:22) “he does not know that loss will come to him”; that it is written (in Prov. 28:8), “The one who augments his wealth by interest and usury amasses it for one who is generous to the poor.” Who is the one that is generous to the poor? This is Esau the wicked. Is Esau the wicked generous to the poor? Rather does he not oppress the poor? He is like those procurators who go out to the villages and plunder tenants. Then they go back to the capital and say, “Gather the poor, because we want to perform a good act for them.” The [Aramaic] adage says, “[She commits adultery] for apples, and distributes [them] to the sick.” R. Levi interpreted the verse (i.e., Prov. 28:22) with reference to the person who does not take out his tithes properly. To this end R. Levi told a story about someone who did take out his tithes properly: Now he had a certain field that produced a thousand measures every year. So he took a hundred measures from it for his tithes; and from the remainder he and the children of his household sustained themselves all of his days. At the time of his death, he summoned his son. He said to him, “My son, give your attention to this field. It yields such and such [a number of] measures, and I take out such and such a tithe. From it I have sustained myself and my household all my days.” When that son planted it the first year, it produced a thousand measures, and he took out a hundred measures from it for the tithe. For the second year, an evil eye (i.e., of greed) entered within him. So he subtracted ten [measures from the tithe], but [the field] subtracted one hundred [measures from its yield]. Similarly also [on the third, fourth, and fifth [years], until it was reduced to its tithes. When kinfolk and friends saw [what was happening], they put on white (i.e., festive) [tunics] and wrapped themselves in white [mantles]. [When] they came to him, he said to them, “Why have you come? To rejoice over the very one who has been excommunicated [by the Heavens]?” They said to him, “God forbid! We have only come to rejoice with you. In the past you were the owner of the house, and the Holy One, blessed be He, was the priest; but now the Holy One, blessed be He, has become the owner of the house, and you are the priest.” For that reason Moses warned Israel (in Deut. 14:22), “You shall surely tithe.”

If thou lend money to any of My people (Exod. 22:24). Scripture states elsewhere: He that augmenteth his substance by interest and increase, gathereth it for Him that is gracious to the poor (Prov. 28:8). How is this to be understood? An Israelite desired to loan out money and when a gentile came to him to borrow money he said to himself: “Is it better to loan money to a non-Jew on interest²⁵Claiming he would then have additional money to aid the needy. But he did not use his money for that purpose. He became wealthy. or to loan it to an Israelite without interest?” He loaned him (the non-Jew) the money and became wealthy. Therefore Solomon declared concerning him: He that augmenteth his substance by interest and increase, gathereth it for Him that is gracious to the poor (Prov. 28:8). This verse alludes to Esau. Was Esau actually gracious to the poor? The fact is that he oppressed the poor, but when the kings heard that he was taking interest, they waged war against him and seized his money. With it the king erected public buildings, baths, and basilicas in the city to provide for the needs of the travelers and the residents. Hence, Gathereth it for Him that is gracious to the poor.