מדרש אויף תהילים 15:5

If thou lend money to any of my people (Exod. 22:24). Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: He that putteth not out his money on interest (Ps. 15:5). Come and observe that every wealthy man who gives charity to the needy and does not lend out his money on interest is considered to have fulfilled all the commandments, as it is said: He that doeth these things shall never be moved (ibid.). Who was one such person? Obadiah, the wealthy overseer of Ahab’s household, as it is said: And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly (I Kings 18:3). He fed the prophets out of his own resources during that famine (which Elijah produced) and even borrowed money on interest from Joram the son of Ahab to do so. Obadiah fulfilled the verse He that putteth not out his money on interest, but concerning Joram who loaned money on interest, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Until now he has survived, but Jehu will come and slay him, as it is written: He hath given forth upon interest, and hath taken increase; shall he then live? (Exod. 18:13). It is also written: And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and smote Joram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot (II Kings 9:24). This occurred because he had become hard of heart and sought interest. Thus the prophesy of Ezekiel was fulfilled: He hath given forth upon interest and hath taken increase; shall he then live? (Ezek. 18:13).

He who walks uprightly and works righteousness. He who walks uprightly is the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is said, "The Rock, His work is perfect" (Deuteronomy 32:4). And he who works righteousness is the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is said, "For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds" (Psalms 11:7). And he who speaks truth is the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is said, "But the Lord is the true God" (Jeremiah 10:10). He who does not wrong his fellow is the Holy One, Blessed be He, who did not wrong Israel at the time of the Golden Calf, as it is written, "And the Lord repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people" (Exodus 32:14). He who does not bear reproach for his neighbor is the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is said, "To the children of Israel with his neighbor" (Psalms 68:15). He who despises the vile, but honors those who fear the Lord is the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is said, "And the people journeyed not until Miriam was brought in" (Numbers 12:15), which teaches that the pillar of cloud was delayed for her. He who keeps his oath even to his own hurt is the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is said, "But as the Lord lives, who has established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as He promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day" (1 Kings 2:24). And it is said, "And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated with sacrifice nor offering forever" (1 Samuel 3:14). He who swears to do evil and does not change is the Holy One, Blessed be He, who withholds his wrath and forgives, as it is said, "As the Lord lives, the glory of the Lord shall be established, and all the earth shall be filled with His glory" (Numbers 14:21). Rabbi Avin said, "He who swears to do evil is one who deprives himself of his money in order to distress his soul to do a mitzvah." And the Rabbis say that it is one who swears to restrain his evil inclination from sinning. He who does not lend his money on interest is the Holy One, Blessed be He, who did not give the Torah for money. As it says (Isaiah 55:1), "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come for water; and he who has no money, come buy and eat; come buy wine and milk without money and without price." And "He who takes no bribe against the innocent" (Psalms 15:5). For if all the nations of the world were to gather and offer all their wealth for one mitzvah (commandment) of the Torah, they could not fulfill it. Similarly, it is written (Song of Songs 8:7), "Many waters cannot quench love." These are the nations of the world, as it is written (Isaiah 17:12), "Woe to the multitude of many people." They seek to extinguish the love that the Holy One, blessed be He, has for Israel. "Rivers cannot wash it away" (Song of Songs 8:7). Rabbi Azariah says in the name of Rabbi Yehudah: In the future, when all the nations come to accuse Israel, and they say before the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the Universe, these are idolaters, and these are idolaters; these are those who commit sexual sins, and these are those who commit sexual sins; these are those who shed blood, and these are those who shed blood," He will say to them (Song of Songs 8:7), "If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, they would utterly despise him." What is written afterwards (Song of Songs 8:8)? "We have a little sister." What is this little one? All that Israel does is insignificant compared to what is given to them. Thus, all year round, Israel is covered in sins, but on Yom Kippur, they are atoned for, as it is written (Leviticus 16:30), "For on this day, He shall forgive you."

Another thing is to be innocent. This refers to Abraham, as it is said (Genesis 17:1), "Walk before Me and be innocent." And to do righteousness. This is Isaac, whose actions were righteous and who gave his life for God. And to speak truth. This is Jacob, as it is said (Micah 7:20), "You will give truth to Jacob, you will not lie to him." And to not speak ill of one's neighbor. This is Benjamin, who knew of Joseph's sale and did not reveal it to his father, and did not do evil to his brother. And he did not bear disgrace for his relatives. This is Joseph, who could have done evil to his brothers but did not, and did not bear disgrace for his relatives. This is Pinchas, who was from the tribe of Levi and the son of a priest from the tribe of Shimon, and who stood up against evil and killed the offender. He was disgusted and disdained in his eyes. This is Moses, who despised the humiliation of his people in Egypt and was preoccupied with the bones of Joseph. And he honors those who fear God. This is David, as it is said (1 Samuel 30:26), "Here is a blessing for you." And he despises what is disgusting in his eyes. This is Hezekiah, King of Judah, who dragged his father's bones on a stretcher of ropes. And he honors those who fear God. This is Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, who, when he saw a wise disciple, stood up from his throne, hugged him, kissed him, and called him "my teacher, my teacher." He swore to do good. This is Boaz, who swore to his adversary (Ruth 3:13), "As the Lord lives, I will lay with you until morning." Another thing is Elisha son of Shaphat, as it is said (2 Kings 2:2), "As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will not leave you." Another thing is Elijah, as it is said (1 Kings 17:1), "As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, if there is dew or rain these years." He did not take his money through dishonesty. Rabbi Akiva used to expound on the verse "these are the living creatures that you may eat" (Leviticus 11:2) and he would say that just as the Torah states that certain creatures are permitted to eat, so too it says that certain actions and behaviors are prohibited. This is based on the principle that the Torah uses similar language and concepts to teach us lessons and draw parallels between different areas of our lives. Another example of this principle is found in the verse "As the Lord lives, if there will be dew and rain in the next few years, I will not give you silver with interest" (1 Kings 17:1). This verse is connected to the story of Elijah the prophet, who hid the other prophets in a cave and provided them with food and drink. The verse emphasizes that Elijah did not take interest on the money he gave to support them. The verse "he who does these things shall never be moved" (Psalms 15:5) is also connected to the principle of similar language and concepts. Rabbi Samuel was unsure of what this meant until King Solomon explained that it refers to someone who keeps the commandments and avoids wrongdoing, even in difficult circumstances. Rabban Gamliel was moved to tears when he read this verse because he realized how difficult it is to achieve such a level of righteousness. However, Rabbi Akiva found joy in reading the same verse and others like it, because he understood that the Torah uses similar language and concepts to teach us important lessons and encourage us to strive for greater spiritual heights. Ultimately, the message is that we should strive to avoid all forms of wrongdoing and strive to keep the commandments in every aspect of our lives. Even if we fall short in one area, we can still strive to improve and follow the Torah's teachings to the best of our ability.