(לה) וְכִֽי־יָמ֣וּךְ אָחִ֔יךָ וּמָ֥טָה יָד֖וֹ עִמָּ֑ךְ וְהֶֽחֱזַ֣קְתָּ בּ֔וֹ גֵּ֧ר וְתוֹשָׁ֛ב וָחַ֖י עִמָּֽךְ׃ (לו) אַל־תִּקַּ֤ח מֵֽאִתּוֹ֙ נֶ֣שֶׁךְ וְתַרְבִּ֔ית וְיָרֵ֖אתָ מֵֽאֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ וְחֵ֥י אָחִ֖יךָ עִמָּֽךְ׃ (לז) אֶ֨ת־כַּסְפְּךָ֔ לֹֽא־תִתֵּ֥ן ל֖וֹ בְּנֶ֑שֶׁךְ וּבְמַרְבִּ֖ית לֹא־תִתֵּ֥ן אׇכְלֶֽךָ׃ (לח) אֲנִ֗י יְהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹ֣הֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־הוֹצֵ֥אתִי אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם לָתֵ֤ת לָכֶם֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן לִהְי֥וֹת לָכֶ֖ם לֵאלֹהִֽים׃ {ס}
(35) If your kin, being in straits, come under your authority, and are held by you as though resident aliens, let them live by your side: (36) do not exact advance or accrued interest, but fear your God. Let your kin live by your side as such. (37) Do not lend your money at advance interest, nor give your food at accrued interest. (38) I יהוה am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be your God.
(39) If your kin under you continue in straits and must be given over to you, do not subject them to the treatment of a slave. (40) Remaining with you as a hired or bound laborer, they shall serve with you only until the jubilee year. (41) Then they, along with any children, shall be free of your authority; they shall go back to their family and return to the ancestral holding. (42) For they are My servants, whom I freed from the land of Egypt; they may not give themselves over into servitude. (43) You shall not rule over them ruthlessly; you shall fear your God.
והחזקת בו THOU SHALT RELIEVE HIM — Don't let the poor fall and become impoverished so that it will be hard for them to recover. Instead, strengthen them the moment their strength and fortune fail.
To what may this (the differences between assisting him at once or waiting to help till he has come down in the world) be compared? If a mule is carrying a load, as long as the load is balanced on the mule's back, it takes only one person to steady it, and make sure it doesn't fall off. Once the load has fallen to the ground, even five people will have trouble lifting it up (Sifra, Behar, Section 5 1).
THAT HE MAY LIVE WITH THEE. The meaning thereof is that he [i.e., the stranger or settler] shall [be enabled to] live with you, it being a positive commandment to support him, and it is from here [that we deduce] that we are commanded by means of a positive commandment to save life. It is from here too, that the Sages have said: “That thy brother may live with thee. This was explained by Ben Peturi: If two people were going on a journey [in the desert], and one of them has a pitcher of water which [contains such an amount that] if he [alone] drinks it, [it would suffice to enable him to] reach an inhabited place, but if both drink from it, both would die. Ben Peturi stated: ‘It is better that both should drink and die, rather than that one should witness the death of his colleague,’ until Rabbi Akiba came and taught: that thy brother may live with thee — thy life takes precedence over the life of thy colleague.”
[א] "אחיך"-- שתנהוג בו באחוה. יכול אף הוא ינהוג בעצמו באחוה? תלמוד לומר (שמות כא, ב) "עבד". יכול אף אתה תתנהג בו כעבד? תלמוד לומר "אחיך". הא כיצד? --אתה נוהג בו באחוה והוא נוהג בעצמו בעבדות.
1) (Vayikra 25:39) ("And if your brother grows poor with you, and he is sold to you, do not work with him the work of a servant.") "your brother": You shall treat him as a brother. I might think that he should conduct himself as a brother; it is, therefore, written "a servant." I might think that you shall also conduct yourself to him as a servant; it is, therefore, written "your brother." How so? You conduct yourself to him with brotherhood (i.e., you call him "brother"); he conducts himself to you with servitude (he calls you "master").
שְׁמוֹנָה שֵׁמוֹת נִקְרְאוּ לֶעָנִי: עָנִי, אֶבְיוֹן, מִסְכֵּן, רָשׁ, דַּל, דָּךְ, מָךְ, הֵלֶךְ. עָנִי, כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ. אֶבְיוֹן, שֶׁמְתָאֵב לַכֹּל. מִסְכֵּן, שֶׁהוּא בָּזוּי לַכֹּל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (קהלת ט, טז): וְחָכְמַת הַמִּסְכֵּן בְּזוּיָה. רָשׁ, מִן הַנְּכָסִים. דַּל, מְדֻלְדָּל מִן הַנְּכָסִים. דָּךְ, מְדֻכְדָּךְ, רוֹאֶה דָּבָר וְאֵינוֹ אוֹכֵל, רוֹאֶה דָּבָר וְאֵינוֹ טוֹעֵם וְאֵינוֹ שׁוֹתֶה. מָךְ, שֶׁהוּא מָךְ לִפְנֵי כֹּל, עָשׂוּי כְּמִין סְקוּפָה הַתַּחְתּוֹנָה, לְפִיכָךְ משֶׁה מַזְהִיר לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְכִי יָמוּךְ אָחִיךָ.
... There are eight names for a poor person: ani, evyon, misken, rash, dal, each, mach, helech. Ani [afflicted] means literally “poor”. Evyon [one who longs] because he longs (mita’ev) for everything. Misken [despised] because he is despised by all as it says “The poor man’s (misken) wisdom is despised.” (Eccl 9:16). Rash [impoverished] because he is dispossessed (mitroshesh) of property. Dal [detached] because he is detached (meduldal) from property. Dach [oppressed] because he is crushed (meduchdach); he sees a thing but cannot eat it, he sees a thing and cannot taste it, and cannot drink it. Mach [trampled upon] because he is lowly before everyone, like a kind of lowest threshold. Helech [vagrant] or Chelech [weak]. Therefore Moses warns Israel: "if your brother becomes poor…"
דָּבָר אַחֵר, וְכִי יָמוּךְ אָחִיךָ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (משלי יט, יז): מַלְוֵה ה' חוֹנֵן דָּל... רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא אָמַר לָהּ בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי חִיָּא בַּר אַבָּא רַבִּי נַחְמָן אָמַר לָהּ בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יוּדָן בְּרַבִּי שׁ'ִמְעוֹן וְרַבָּנָן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ, אִלְמָלֵא מִקְרָא כָּתוּב אִי אֶפְשָׁר לְאָמְרוֹ, כִּבְיָכוֹל דַּרְכּוֹ שֶׁל לֹוֶה לִהְיוֹת עֶבֶד לַמַּלְוֶה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (משלי כב, ז): וְעֶבֶד לֹוֶה לְאִישׁ מַלְוֶה,
Another exposition of the verse, "If your kinsman is in [financial] straits . . . " (Lev. 25:39). It is written: "One who is generous to the poor makes a loan to Adonai; He will repay what is due" (Prov. 19:17)...
R. Tanhuma taught in the name of R. Hiyya b. Abba, R. Nahman taught in the name of R. Judan son of R. Simeon, and our Rabbis taught in the name of R. Simeon b. Lakish: "If not for a verse of Scripture, it would be impossible to say this: as it were, it is usual for a borrower to become the servant of the lender [i.e., God]; as it is written, " . . . The borrower is a servant to the lender!" (Prov. 22:7)
Why is giving a loan greater then giving tzedakah?
גדול המלוה - לפי שאין העני בוש בדבר:
ומטיל לכיס - מעות ומלאי להשתכר בהן למחצית שכר...
The one who loans is greater - Because the poor person does not become embarassed.
And the one who places... - One who gives money and merchandise (to sell) from which to profit...
(ז) שְׁמוֹנֶה מַעֲלוֹת יֵשׁ בַּצְּדָקָה זוֹ לְמַעְלָה מִזּוֹ. מַעֲלָה גְּדוֹלָה שֶׁאֵין לְמַעְלָה מִמֶּנָּה זֶה הַמַּחֲזִיק בְּיַד יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁמָּךְ וְנוֹתֵן לוֹ מַתָּנָה אוֹ הַלְוָאָה אוֹ עוֹשֶׂה עִמּוֹ שֻׁתָּפוּת אוֹ מַמְצִיא לוֹ מְלָאכָה כְּדֵי לְחַזֵּק אֶת יָדוֹ עַד שֶׁלֹּא יִצְטָרֵךְ לַבְּרִיּוֹת לִשְׁאל. וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (ויקרא כה לה) "וְהֶחֱזַקְתָּ בּוֹ גֵּר וְתוֹשָׁב וָחַי עִמָּךְ" כְּלוֹמַר הַחֲזֵק בּוֹ עַד שֶׁלֹּא יִפּל וְיִצְטָרֵךְ:
(7) There are eight levels of tzedakah, each one greater than the other. The greatest level, higher than all the rest, is to fortify a fellow Jew and give him a gift, a loan, form with him a partnership, or find work for him until he is strong enough so that he does not need to ask others [for sustenance]. Of this it is said, (Lev. 25:35) [If your kinsman, being in straits, comes under your authority,] and you hold him as though a resident alien, let him live by your side. That is as if to say, "Hold him up," so that he will not fall and be in need.186See Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 63a.
Solomon ben Meir ha-Levi of Karlin, 1738-1798
If you wish to raise a person from poverty and trouble, do not think that it is enough to stand above and reach a helping hand down to him or her. It is not enough. You must go down to where the person is, down into the mud and filth. Then take hold of him or her with strong hands and pull until both of you rise up into the light.
Excerpts from We Are What We Do Not Own (Behar-Bechukotai 5778) by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.
Leviticus 25 deals with a problem that is as acute today as it was 33 centuries ago. It is about the inevitable inequalities that arise in every free market economy. Market economics is good at the creation of wealth but bad at its distribution. Whatever the starting point, inequalities emerge early on between the more and less successful, and they become more pronounced over time.
Economic inequality leads to inequality of power, and the result is often the abuse of the weak by the strong… This is a problem for almost every society and age. What makes the Torah distinctive is that it refuses a one-dimensional answer to what is a genuinely complex problem. Equality is a value, but so too is freedom. Communism and socialism have been tried and failed; but the free market generates its discontents also. One principle that can be inferred from Tanakh is that the market was made to serve human beings; human beings were not made to serve the market. The fundamental question is therefore: what best serves humanity under the sovereignty of God?
...
PSYCHOLOGICAL: The psychological dimension is what the French revolutionaries called fraternity. Ten times the laws in Behar use the word “brother.” “Do not wrong your brother.” “If your brother becomes poor.” “The nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his brother has sold.” This is sound evolutionary logic. We know from the work of W. D. Hamilton and others on kin selection that the most basic driver of altruism is the family. We make sacrifices most readily for those most closely related to us.
That, in no small measure, is why from the beginning of the Jewish story to today, Jews have thought of themselves as a single family… It is one thing to legislate altruism, through such institutions as the seventh and fiftieth year. It is another to frame a society in such a way as to make people feel bound together in an unbreakable bond of shared responsibility.. Because the entire Jewish people is a single vastly extended family, therefore we must help when one of our brothers or sisters becomes destitute. This is ethnicity in the service of morality.