“The Torah prohibits Jews from lending money to other Jews with interest. This is a fascinating law; it’s not a civil law or a law of business, because interest is a normal way of generating revenue, right? If I give you my car for a year, I expect to get rent. If I give you my house for five years, I expect to get rent. If I lend you my money for ten years, why can’t I take some rent? Interest is not evil. The Torah acknowledges that it’s not immoral. But the Torah wanted Jews to treat each other in an extra special way, as brothers and sisters. You give a loan without interest. We know the story of the Merchant of Venice, where William Shakespeare wrote a whole play about Shylock, which portrayed Jews as nasty, self-centered money lenders. This was because there was a time when Christianity would not allow Christians to lend to each other with interest, so Jews had to become the money lenders and bankers, which was always nasty. But the point is, this is a fascinating mitzvah.”

~ Rabbi YY Jacobson.

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