| The Joy Of Charity | | ||
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Although lending with interest is perfectly natural, given the value of capital and the risk involved in lending, the Torah prohibits lending with interest. As I understand it, you should really be giving the money away (if this wouldn't cause embarrassment), and certainly not profiting from another's need for money.
But here's a way to give a loan with interest that seems to me to be permissible: Give the money in the framework of tithed income (maaser kesafim) with the stipulation that it is to be paid back to God (not to you) with a 10% interest. That is, if God should give the borrower a blessing of money available, the amount that was previously received in this loan should be given to charity with an addition of 10%.
In this way, your giving charity results in others giving even more charity. Furthermore, God has an interest (as it were) to give a blessing of wealth to the recipient so that He can collect "His" loan (and the interest). In my humble opinion, this is pretty neat.
| The Joy Of Charity | | ||
| new material | www.joyoflife.org.il | about this site | ||