Sifra Behar Section 5

¹1) (Vayikra 25:35) ("And if your brother grows poor, and his hand falls with you, then you shall uphold him, as a convert and as a sojourner; and he shall live with you.") "If your brother grows poor, and his hand falls with you": Do not allow him to drop. To what may this be compared? To a (slipping) burden upon an ass. So long as it is still in its place, you can grab onto it and set it aright. Once it has fallen to the ground, not even five can get it back again. And whence is it derived that even if you upheld him even four or five times you must, if necessary, continue doing so? From "then you shall uphold him" (connoting continuity) … and he shall live." I might think (that you must do so) even if you thereby assist him in some evil end; it is, therefore, written "with you," only if he is "with you" (imach) in Torah and mitzvoth, as in (Vayikra 19:17) "amitecha" — one who is "with you (itach)" in Torah and mitzvoth. "convert" (ger) — this is a ger tzedek (a righteous convert, one who accepts all the mitzvoth); "sojourner" (toshav) — this is a convert who eats carrion (but abstains from idolatry). ²2) ("Do not take from him interest or increase, and you shall fear your G d, and your brother shall live with you.") "Do not take from him": "Do not take from him," but you may act as his guarantor (for a loan on interest that he took from a gentile). "interest or increase": Which is "interest (neshech)"? Lending a sela for five dinars, (which are more than a sela); two sa'ah of grain for three — (Interest is called "neshech") because he (the giver) "bites" (noshech, the taker). Which is "increase" (tarbith)? Increasing (one's assets) by (trading) produce. How so? One bought wheat from another (without taking possession) at one gold dinar per kor, this being the market price. Wheat rises to thirty (silver) dinars. The buyer then says to the seller: Give me my wheat; I want to sell it and buy wine. The seller: Your wheat is assumed by me as (a debt of) thirty (silver) dinars, and you have a claim on me for wine (worth thirty dinars) — and he has no wine. If he dos have wine he must give it to him. ³3) "and your brother shall live with you": This was expounded by Ben Patori: If two men were walking along the road and one of them had only a kiton of water — If one of them drinks it, he will reach the settlement; if both of them drink it, they will both die — Ben Patori expounded: Let them both drink it and die, it being written "and your brother shall live with you" (i.e., "as you do"). R. Akiva said to him "and your brother shall live with you" — your life comes before that of your neighbor. (Vayikra 25:37) ("Your money you shall not give him on interest, and on increase you shall not give your food.") "your money": and not the money of others (i.e., gentiles); "and your food": and not that of others. — But perhaps (the meaning is) "your money," but not the money of ma'aser; "your food," but not animal food! (This cannot be maintained, for it is written [Devarim 23:20]) "interest of money" — to include the money of ma'aser; "interest of food" — to include animal food. "and on increase you shall not give your food. (Devarim 23:38) I am the L–rd" — whence they stated: One who takes upon himself the yoke of (shunning) interest takes upon himself the yoke of Heaven, and one who divests himself of the yoke of (shunning) interest divests himself of the yoke of Heaven. (Vayikra 25:38) ("I am the L–rd your G d, who took you out of the land of Egypt to give to you the land of Canaan, to be a G d to you.") "I am the L–rd your G d, who took you out": It is on this condition that I took you out of the land of Egypt — that you take upon yourselves the mitzvah of (shunning) interest. For all who acknowledge the mitzvah of (shunning) interest acknowledge the exodus from Egypt, and all who deny the mitzvah of (shunning) interest, it is as if they would deny the exodus from Egypt. ⁴4) "to give to you the land of Canaan, to be a G d to you": From here they stated "If one lives in Eretz Yisrael, he takes upon himself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, and if he goes outside of Eretz Yisrael, it is as if he serves idolatry. And David says (I Samuel 26:19) "Accursed are they before the L–rd, for they have driven me out today not to have a share in the L–rd's inheritance, saying, Go and serve other gods." Now would it enter our mind that King David would serve idolatry? But (the meaning is that) he expounded "If one lives in Eretz Yisrael, he takes upon himself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, and if he goes outside of Eretz Yisrael, it is as if he serves idolatry.