ADDING INTEREST TO YOUR DAY
AVROHOM YAAKOV
This week’s Torah reading goes through the prohibition against taking interest and concludes “I am Hashem who took you out of Egypt.” (25:38)
What is the connection between the Egyptian experience and interest?
The Reisha Rav, R’ Aaron Levine, in Hadrash VHa’iyun explains.
The Egyptian exile was imposed as a consequence of a misspeak by Avrohom. If so, why were the Egyptians punished during the extraction of the Jews from their land – the Egyptians were merely following their pre-ordained task.
However, the Egyptians crossed the line between fulfilling their obligation and relishing the task at hand.
The Egyptian slavery exceeded the plans put in place. They effectively took ‘interest’ on the oppression of the Jews. As such, in taking interest a person supports the Egyptian way.
IT IS STRANGE what people choose to excel at and what they just do to be ‘yotse’, to fulfill their obligation, such as it is.
The majority of people choose to hone their skills on activities that are not meaningful in the scheme of things. Others find a calling that contributes to society and improves the lives of those around them and the community as a whole.
How does one know that they have found something that is worthwhile and meaningful? By the way you feel when you are working at the task.
Tasks that are insignificant leave a person unfulfilled and dissatisfied. But the activities that are significant, fill your spiritual ‘belly’ and have you wanting to do more.
Oddly, the concept of exceling is something that we can actually learn from the Egyptians.
