Based on Ahavas Chesed vol. 2 chapter 15 – part 2

Having broached the subject of interest, the Chofetz Chaim now discusses the consequences of this great evil. Charging interest has become so common that many no longer even view it as prohibited and don’t hesitate to do it. But doing so in fact violates numerous prohibitions. The Gemara (Baba Metzia 75b) lists no fewer than five such prohibitions. One who charges interest in considered evil and is barred from giving testimony in court. Such a person will be greatly embarrassed at the time of his judgment. To one who charges interest we apply the verse “Is this how you repay God, you lowly and unwise nation? Is He not your Father, your Master, the One Who made you and sustained you?” (Deut. 32:6)

Our Sages taught (Midrash Tehillim) that one who doubles down on a misdeed won’t be forgiven – not even at times when God actively looks for merits to acquit occasional sinners. Even small children who learn Chumash know that charging interest is strictly prohibited, so how can someone be so impudent as to engage in this practice? One who so brazen flouts God’s word is considered wholly evil.

A person who charges interest is making it clear that he has no faith in God, believing that anything he can acquire – whether permissibly or impermissibly – will remain in his possession. If he had faith, he would recognize that God runs the world and cares for all His creations. Deuteronomy 8:18 teaches that God is “the one who gives you the ability to generate wealth,” while Tehillim 136:25 assures us that “He gives food to all flesh.” A person can only become prosperous if God so wills it, so if this person had faith, he would never try to profit from interest.

We must understand that God can make us successful in any career, so we have to stay away from this despicable practice. Those who engage in charging interest not only won’t profit, they’ll ultimately incur a loss. Yirmiyahu 17:11 teaches that if “one generates wealth illegally, it will leave him in the middle of his life.” This can happen in one of two ways – either through the loss of his wealth or a premature demise!

The Gemara in Baba Metzia (71a) says that charging interest makes the perpetrator willfully ignorant. If someone were to call his friend a rasha, he would fight that person to the death, but by bringing people to witness the interest-bearing loan and drawing up contracts for the prohibited contract, he demonstrates that he has no problem denying God, r”l.

The Chofetz Chaim says that he is particularly bothered by a practice engaged in by some merchants. They sell on credit, so that money is owed to them by the purchasers. The sellers then add fees to the outstanding balance. This practice is indefensible, he says, even if the buyer agrees to the terms at the time of the sale. The debt is really a loan, for which it is prohibited to generate any income beyond the original amount.

As noted in our previous installment, when the prophet Yechezkel revived the dead in the “valley of the dry bones,” one person didn’t get up with the others – a person who lent with interest (Yalkut Shimoni Yechezkel 36). The reason is because Leviticus 25:35-36 instructs us, “When your brother becomes needy and his hand weakens, strengthen him – the stranger and the resident – and he shall live with you. Do not take interest or usury from him; you shall fear your God and your brother shall live with you.” Since one who lends with interest doesn’t care about helping his brother to live, he certainly doesn’t deserve to live again! It will certainly reflect poorly on such a person when others get up in the future but his grave remains undisturbed. This is a very poor trade for the few dollars that he was able to enjoy from his ill-gotten gain!

A person must remember that, while borrowing with interest doesn’t bar one from the revival of the dead, it is nevertheless equally prohibited. The borrower in such a transaction is also considered evil and disqualified from serving as a witness.

Bottom line, lending with interest is simply indefensible. If one lends with a heter iska (a document that combines a loan with an investment, with the possibility of realizing a profit or a loss), the parties must ensure that it’s done in accordance with all the relevant halachos in order to avoid the possibility of participating in an interest-bearing loan.

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