Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz
Why does the Torah forbid loans with interest (ribit)? After all, it’s the normal way of doing business, and people are fine with it. And why is the punishment so severe that Chazal (our Sages) tell us that someone who lends with interest won’t merit techiyat hameitim (resurrection of the dead)?
Rabbi Chaim Mintz responds:
Emulating Hashem’s Ways
One of the 613 mitzvot is “Vehalachta bidrachav”—to walk in Hashem (God)’s ways. Rambam (Hilchot De’ot 1:5-6) explains this to mean that we must emulate Hashem in both our actions and our middot (character traits). The Torah describes Hashem with many qualities—compassion, patience, kindness, humility, etc.—and it is our duty to mold our own character after those same traits.
The Trait of Chanun
One of these traits is chanun. Chanun, commonly translated as “gracious,” actually comes from the root chinam, and reflects the quality of giving purely out of kindness, without expecting anything in return. Hashem treats us with boundless kindness and mercy, giving freely—even to those who may not deserve it, and without asking for anything in return. So “just as He is chanun, so too you must be chanun” (Shabbat 133b), giving freely, without expecting repayment or reward.
Rivka’s Test of Kindness
In fact, this is the very quality Eliezer the servant of Avraham sought when testing Rivkah to see if she was worthy to become one of the Imahot (Matriarchs of the Jewish Nation). He wished to test her quality of kindness, yet of all the acts he could have chosen, he asked her to do something that seemed unnecessary—drawing water for his ten camels while his entourage of grown, capable men, who could have surely drawn the water with much greater ease than her, stood idly by.
But that was precisely the point. He wanted to see if Rivkah would give even when there was no real need—simply out of the goodness of her heart. Her kindness wasn’t transactional or strategic; it was chinam. Like Hashem’s trait of chanun, it came from a pure desire to benefit others, making her the fitting candidate to be the forbearer of the Jewish nation.
Why the Torah Forbids Interest
This is why the Torah forbids interest. A loan to a fellow Jew in need is a basic form of chesed (loving kindness). Turning an act of chesed into a business deal corrupts the trait of selfless giving we are meant to embody. Even if the borrower wants to pay interest in order to secure a loan, it remains forbidden. In fact, the borrower himself is prohibited from paying it. Why? Because preserving this value is so important, it overrides even the borrower’s needs.
The Link to Techiyat HaMeitim
A person who lacks selflessness cannot merit techiyat hameitim. In the World to Come, Hashem will bestow His boundless goodness entirely as a selfless gift, giving without receiving anything in return. To receive Hashem’s selfless kindness, we must embody that same trait ourselves. One who collects interest falls short in this fundamental quality, as he is unwilling to give without expecting something in return, and therefore cannot merit enjoying Hashem’s free, selfless goodness.
In Summary
In short: Lending with interest undermines the obligation to emulate Hashem’s selfless kindness—giving freely without expecting anything in return. To merit techiyat hameitim and partake in Hashem’s selfless giving, one must embody that same selflessness.
Have another question to ask a rabbi? You can ask Rabbi Mintz your own question at asktherabbi@oorah.org, or head to oorah.org/asktherabbi/ to watch the latest Q&As or join Ask the Rabbi Live, Tuesdays at 9PM ET.
