R' Shawn Israel Zevit, The Offerings of the Heart, 12.
The Divine ownership of wealth is central to the principles of traditional Jewish economic philosophy at the personal, communal, national, and universal levels. First fruits are given to the Temple, thanking God for bountiful produce. The land is in the hands of the Divine and must rest every seven years and lie fallow. Our entire material world is on loan, and all goods must be returned to their original owners every fiftieth year for the Jubilee. Material and spiritual freedom are intimately linked, and the basis of all is not financial equity, but the pursuit of justice.
(י) אַרְבַּע מִדּוֹת בָּאָדָם. הָאוֹמֵר שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלִּי וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלָּךְ, זוֹ מִדָּה בֵינוֹנִית. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, זוֹ מִדַּת סְדוֹם. שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלְּךָ וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלִּי, עַם הָאָרֶץ. שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלְּךָ וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלָּךְ, חָסִיד. שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלִּי וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלִּי, רָשָׁע:
(10) There are four temperaments among men: the one who says "what is mine is mine, and what is yours is yours" -- that's an [average] temperament. And there are some who say that is the temperament of Sodom. [A second type is one who says] "what is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine" -- [that's an] am ha'arets (uneducated person). [A third type is one who says] "what is mine is yours, and what is yours is yours" -- [that's a] pious person. [A final type is one who says] "what is yours is mine, and what is mine is mine" -- [that's a] wicked person.
המאירי על מסכת אבות ה:יב
...שתיהן אמת. והוא, שאם במה שאינו
רוצה שיהנו אחרים ממנו הוא דבר שאלו היה מהנה אותם בכך לא היה אצלו או אצל ממונו שום חסרון זו היא מידת סדום שכל מעכב הנאת חבירו במה שנהנה ממנו והוא אינו חסר כלום מדת סדום היא. אבל הראשונה היא שאלו מהנהו יש אצלו או אצל ממונו קצת חסרון...הואיל ויש בה חסרון אינה מדת סדום שאינו רוצה לחסר בשל אחרים ולא להתחסר ע"י אחרים [אלא היא] מדה בינונית.
Meiri on Avot 5:12
(1249-1319, Provence)
…Both are true. That is, if when one doesn’t want others to benefit him, it’s in a situation when if one did give them benefit this way, neither he nor his money would experience any loss – this is a trait of Sedom. But the first is where if he gave him benefit, he or his money would experience some loss, since he has loss, it’s not a trait of Sedom, for he wishes neither to cause others loss, nor experience loss on their account. Rather, this is an average trait.
Kli Yakar
The year of Shmita promotes a sense of fellowship and peace. For one is not allowed to exercise over the seventh year produce the right of private ownership. And this is a primary factor in promoting peace since most dissension comes from the attitude of ‘mine is mine.’ One person claiming ‘it’s all mine’ and the other also claiming, ‘it’s all mine.’ But in the seventh year all are equal, and this is the real essence of peace.
(א) שביעית, משמטת את המלוה בשטר ושלא בשטר. הקפת החנות, אינה משמטת. ואם עשאה מלוה, הרי זו משמטת. רבי יהודה אומר, הראשון הראשון משמט. שכר שכיר, אינו משמט. ואם עשאו מלוה, הרי זה משמט. רבי יוסי אומר, כל מלאכה שפוסקת בשביעית, משמטת. ושאינה פוסקת בשביעית, אינה משמטת. (ב) השוחט את הפרה וחלקה בראש השנה, אם היה החדש מעבר, משמט. אם לאו, אינו משמט. האונס, והמפתה, והמוציא שם רע, וכל מעשה בית דין, אינן משמטין. המלוה על המשכון, והמוסר שטרותיו לבית דין, אינן משמטין. (ג) פרזבול, אינו משמט. זה אחד מן הדברים שהתקין הלל הזקן, כשראה שנמנעו העם מלהלוות זה את זה ועוברין על מה שכתוב בתורה (דברים טו) השמר לך פן יהיה דבר עם לבבך בליעל וגו', התקין הלל פרזבול. (ד) זהו גופו שלפרזבול, מוסר אני לכם איש פלוני ופלוני הדינים שבמקום פלוני, שכל חוב שיש לי, שאגבנו כל זמן שארצה. והדינים חותמין למטה, או העדים.
(1) The Sabbatical year cancels a loan [that was made] with a contract and [a loan that was made] without a contract. Store credit is not cancelled, but if it was made into a loan, it is canceled. Rabbi Yehudah says, the earlier [of multiple purchases on credit] is cancelled. Wages owed to a worker are not canceled, but if it was made into a loan, it is canceled. Rabbi Yossi says, any type of work which must pause during the Sabbatical year, [wages owed for that work] are cancelled. But any work which need not pause during the Sabbatical year, [wages owed for that work] are not canceled. (2) If one slaughters a cow and distributes it [to others] on Rosh Hashanah [New Year's festival], if the [previous] month was full then [the loan is] canceled. [The fines for] rape, seduction, Motzi Shem Ra [husband who falsely accuses his bride of not having been a virgin], and any judicial court matter are not canceled. One who lends on collateral, and one who entrusts his contracts to the judicial court, [those loans] are not canceled. (3) [Any loan made with a] Pruzbul [court exemption from the Sabbatical year expiration of a loan] is not canceled. This is one of the matters that Hillel the elder instituted. When he observed that the nation withheld from lending to each other and were transgressing what is written in the Torah: "Beware lest there be in your mind a base thought," he instituted the Pruzbul. (4) This is the body of the Pruzbul: "I entrust to you, so-and-so and so-and-so, who judge in such-and-such place, that any loan that I have, I may collect it any time that I wish." And the judges affix their signatures below, or the witnesses.
(ז) כִּי יִהְיֶה בְךָ אֶבְיוֹן מֵאַחַד אַחֶיךָ בְּאַחַד שְׁעָרֶיךָ בְּאַרְצְךָ אֲשֶׁר יי אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ לֹא תְאַמֵּץ אֶת לְבָבְךָ וְלֹא תִקְפֹּץ אֶת יָדְךָ מֵאָחִיךָ הָאֶבְיוֹן. (ח) כִּי פָתֹחַ תִּפְתַּח אֶת יָדְךָ לוֹ וְהַעֲבֵט תַּעֲבִיטֶנּוּ דֵּי מַחְסֹרוֹ אֲשֶׁר יֶחְסַר לוֹ. (ט) הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן יִהְיֶה דָבָר עִם לְבָבְךָ בְלִיַּעַל לֵאמֹר קָרְבָה שְׁנַת הַשֶּׁבַע שְׁנַת הַשְּׁמִטָּה וְרָעָה עֵינְךָ בְּאָחִיךָ הָאֶבְיוֹן וְלֹא תִתֵּן לוֹ וְקָרָא עָלֶיךָ אֶל יי וְהָיָה בְךָ חֵטְא. (י) נָתוֹן תִּתֵּן לוֹ וְלֹא יֵרַע לְבָבְךָ בְּתִתְּךָ לוֹ כִּי בִּגְלַל הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה יְבָרֶכְךָ יי אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל מַעֲשֶׂךָ וּבְכֹל מִשְׁלַח יָדֶךָ.
If there is a needy person among you, one of your brothers in any of your cities, in the land that the Lord gives you, you shall not harden your heart or close your hand against your needy brother. Rather, you shall open your hand to him, you shall lend him sufficiently for whatever he needs. Beware, that you may harbor the thought, “the seventh year is approaching,” so that you are mean to your needy brother and give him nothing. He will cry out to the Lord against you, and it will be your guilt. Give to him readily and have no regrets when you do so, for in return, the Lord will bless you in all your efforts and all your undertakings.
Life can only be perfected through the affording of a breathing space from the bustle of everyday life. The individual shakes himself free from ordinary weekday life at short and regular intervals-on every Sabbath…What the Sabbath achieves regarding the individual, the Shmita achieves with regard to the nation as a whole. A year of solemn rest is essential for both the nation and the land, a year of peace and quiet without oppressor and tyrant…It is a year of equality and rest, in which the soul reaches out towards divine justice, towards God who sustains the living creatures with loving kindness. There is no private property and no punctilious privilege but the peace of God reigns over all in which there is the breath of life. Sanctity is not profaned by the exercise of private acquisitiveness over all this year’s produce, and the covetousness of wealth stirred up by commerce is forgotten. For food – but not for commerce.
- Rav Kook, Shabbat Ha’Aretz
(כ) לֹא־תַשִּׁ֣יךְ לְאָחִ֔יךָ נֶ֥שֶׁךְ כֶּ֖סֶף נֶ֣שֶׁךְ אֹ֑כֶל נֶ֕שֶׁךְ כָּל־דָּבָ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִשָּֽׁךְ׃
(20) You shall not deduct interest from loans to your fellow Israelites, whether in money or food or anything else that can be deducted as interest;
20. Deduct interest. נשך is relation to the word for "bite," the interest being seen as taking a bite out of the capital. Leviticus 25:36-37 introduced the additional terms tarbit (increase) and marbit, translated as "accrued interest," to be paid at the time of the loan's repayment; neshech is rendered as "advance interest."
20-21. As Israelites must not sexually exploit one another (vv. 18-19), so must they avoid economic exploitation. This law builds on Exodus 22:25, which clarifies that, in this economy, lending served primarily as a means of social support for "the poor among you" (similarly Lev. 25:36-37). Charging interest would amount to profiteering from the misfortunes of others.
״אִם כֶּסֶף תַּלְוֶה אֶת עַמִּי אֶת הֶעָנִי עִמָּךְ...״ (שמות כב, כד) עַמִּי וְנָכְרִי - עַמִּי קוֹדֵם, עָנִי וְעָשִׁיר - עָנִי קוֹדֵם, עֲנִיֶּיךָ וְעֲנִיֵי עִירְךָ - עֲנִיֶּיךָ קוֹדְמִין, עֲנִיֵּי עִירְךָ וְעֲנִיֵי עִיר אַחֶרֶת - עֲנִיֵּי עִירְךָ קוֹדְמִין.
"If you lend my people money, even the poor with you..." (Exodus 22:24) My people and strangers - my people have precedence, a poor person and a rich one - the poor have precedence. Your poor and the poor of your city - your poor have precedence, the poor of your city and the poor of another city - the poor of your city have precedence.
(ג) ואלו הן הפסולין, המשחק בקביא, והמלוה ברבית, ומפריחי יונים, וסוחרי שביעית.
(3) These are invalid: dice-players, usurers, pigeon-flyers, and sellers of Sabbatical goods.
הא למדת שכל המלוה ברבית נכסיו מתמוטטין
And have we not learned that anyone who lends at interest, his assets will depreciate.
א"ר יסא ... ללמדך שכל המלוה בריבית כופר בעיקר.
Rav Yassa says... to teach you that anyone who lends at interest is a heretic.
(ז) עָ֭שִׁיר בְּרָשִׁ֣ים יִמְשׁ֑וֹל וְעֶ֥בֶד לֹ֝וֶ֗ה לְאִ֣ישׁ מַלְוֶֽה׃
7 The rich rule the poor, And the borrower is a slave to the lender.