Based on Ahavas Chesed vol. 2 chapter 22

Having addressed the laws of lending money, the Chofetz Chaim now turns to the topic of lending objects, which is also an act of chesed. The gemara in Succah (49b) teaches that tzedakah can only be performed with our money, but chesed can be performed with both our bodies and our money; Rashi there explains that “money” includes also our possessions. We see that lending objects is also a mitzvah – and if the borrower can use the lender’s property to earn a living, it’s a very great mitzvah indeed! Anyone can perform this mitzvah, since it can be fulfilled with even a very modest possession, such as by lending someone a thimble or a comb.

The gemara teaches (Menachos 43b) that it’s a bigger sin to be stingy with basic things – like common white wool – than it is with fancy things – like costly purple wool. Not everyone has the fancy things, but the basic things are ubiquitous. When we meet our Maker and have to account for our deeds, no one is going to ask why we didn’t lend out extravagant luxuries. We will, however, be held responsible for basic needs that would have been well within our abilities to lend if not for our laziness. We are obligated to lend things even to the wealthy, and even more so to the needy.

Some people refrain from lending their possessions even if the object is available and not currently being used; they’re simply selfish. This is a terrible trait! Others aren’t so miserly; they simply can’t be bothered. They may not be as reprehensible as the former group, but they haven’t learned the importance of chesed. Someone who understands the significance of this mitzvah wouldn’t let anything stand between him and its fulfilment. Rather, they would joyfully grasp any opportunity to perform an act of chesed.

Thus far, we’ve been discussing the lending of mundane household objects. The mitzvah is so much greater when it comes to lending seforim! If you lend someone a volume of Torah from which he learns, the merit extends infinitely. The gemara in Kesubos (50a) discusses Psalms 112:3: “Wealth and riches are in his house and his righteousness endures forever.” They explain that this refers to a person who lends seforim to others. This act of spreading Torah generates countless blessings.

Of course, some people refrain from lending to others because of some petty dislike they have for the potential borrower. This is actually the worst reason of all, as it violates the Torah prohibition against bearing a grudge and taking revenge (Leviticus 19:18). A person who has such a feeling in his heart should contemplate how many things he has done to provoke God – and yet God hasn’t refrained from doing chesed for him! If we want God to do things for us despite antagonizing Him, we should be prepared to do things for others even if we have some gripe against them.

All this is about the lender. But what about the borrower? One who borrows another’s possessions must be sure to adhere to the terms of the loan. If one deviates from the agreed-upon conditions, he is in illicit possession of the object and is considered a thief. One may also not hold on to an object longer than the agreed-upon term of the loan. One may likewise not lend a borrowed item to a third party.

A borrower must make sure to return the object when it comes due; too many people are not careful in this regard. (In this, borrowers can be as lazy as lenders!) What happens then is that the owner of the object forgets to whom he lent it, so he has to go around searching for his property until he figures it out.

One must also exercise caution with another person’s property. Sometimes a borrowed object is misused and gets broken. This is considered sinful even if the borrower repays the lender, since the object was misused. And if the borrower doesn’t repay the lender, it’s outright theft (see Baba Metzia 81a)!

One who borrows an object is responsible to protect it for as long as it’s in his possession. He’s responsible for any damage the object might suffer, even if it’s beyond his control to prevent. Accordingly, it behooves one to return a borrowed object as soon as he’s done with it and not to hang on to it any longer than necessary.

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