(For the riddles see second to last page)
1) The Mishmeres Ariel notes that the Gemara explains the reason for each of their positions. The first opinion derives his opinion from the first person, Adam, who was created on Friday. For Adam, Shabbos was the next day, followed by six days of the week and then another Shabbos. The other position focuses on the Creation of the universe, and from this perspective, first there were six days of the week and only then came Shabbos. According to their reasoning, in the case of Shemittah, where the Jewish people entered Eretz Yisroel and spent 14 years conquering and dividing it before the laws of the Shemittah cycle became applicable, both opinions would agree that somebody in such a situation would first plant for six years and then observe the seventh year as Shemittah. (R’ Ozer Alport, Parsha Potpourri)
2) The Torah instructs us (25:8) to count seven 7-year Shemittah cycles before observing the 50th year as Yovel [the Jubilee year], stating: שבע שנים שבע שבתת שנים וספרת לך שבע פעמים, with six consecutive words all beginning with the letter ש.
3) The Panim Yofos answers, based on the Gemara in Bava Metzia (75a). The Gemara teaches, that one is allowed to lend to family members with ribbis, in order to give them a taste of what ribbis is about. The Gemara then says: שאסרו חכמים משום דאתי למיסרך – “Chazal forbade doing so, as they didn’t want people getting used to doing so”. The concern of Chazal is by regular people, when it comes to Hashem there is no concern, therefore, there is no gezeirah [enactment], and Hashem is allowed to lend with ribbis. With this, the Panim Yofos beautifully explains a pasuk in Tehillim (148:13,14). הודו על ארץ ושמים וירם קרן לעמו וגו', the main reward for mitzvos is in the next world, and that which we receive in this world is just the fruits, and in order that people shouldn’t say that giving reward in this world is ribbis, the pasuk adds, לבני ישראל עם קרובו, Klal Yisroel are related to Hashem, and when it comes to family there is no problem of ribbis.
The Chida (Chomas Anoch, Shir HaShirim 8:3) answers that there is no ribbis as the capital (keren) is only paid back in the next world. Since we don’t receive the capital in this world, there is no problem of ribbis.
I asked this question to R’ Shimshi Staton shlita (Gateshead) and he answered: The idea behind the prohibition of lending with ribbis, is that the borrower feels like he is being bitten (the Torah refers to ribbis as נשך, which means bite). The borrower has no money, and is left with no choice but to borrow. Being that he is poor, he is only able to pay back in instalments and as a result he must pay back slowly, slowly, and feels the bite. One who is rich pays in one go and finished, however, one who is poor isn’t able to, and he has no choice but to pay back slowly. Since the prohibition of ribbis is that it bites at the lender, it doesn’t apply to the Ribbono Shel Olam. The Ribbono Shel Olam has everything and could pay back in one go if he wanted to (see Ta’anis 25a), therefore, he is not subject to the prohibition of ribbis.
4) The Ba’al HaTurim in this week’s parsha writes that the pasuk, וחי אחיך עמך – “Your brother shall live with you”, is written next to the pasuk, אל תקח מאתו נשך ותרבית – “Do not take from him interest”, to hint that if one lends money with ribbis he won’t live. The Ba’al HaTurim adds, that נשך is the same gematrai as נחש זה – “This is the snake”, and just like in the future the snake won’t be healed, so too, one who lends with ribbis in the future won’t have techiyas hameisim.
The Medrash (Mishpotim, 31) says: אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא מי שחיה ברבית בעולם הזה לא יחיה בעולם הבא – “Hakodosh Boruch Hu said, one who lives by lending with ribbis in this world, won’t live in the next world”.
The Yalkut Shimoni (Yechezkel 375, see also Tosfos Bava Metzia 70b) writes: “The amount of dead bodies Yechezkel revived was 600,000, and they all stood up on their feet except one. The novi asked the Ribbono Shel Olam ‘what has this man done?’ and He answered, ‘he lent with ribbis, and doesn’t deserve resurrection’” Tosfos in Sotah (5a) asks why the Mishnah in Sanhedrin (90a) doesn’t list such a person as someone who doesn’t have a portion in the next world and ends off without an answer.
The question is, however, why does one who lends with ribbis deserve such a severe punishment?
Some explain, his punishment is middah k’neged middah [measure for measure]. The pasuk says, “your brother shall live with you”, one who poor is considered dead, and by giving him tzedokah and supporting him, one is bringing him back life. Similarly, one who lends money to a poor person to help him earn some money also brings him back to life. One who lends such a person with ribbis, however, not only isn’t he helping him out, he is making it more difficult – instead of reviving him by helping him, he is doing something which will make him stay poor, instead of bringing him back to life, the lender is killing him. One who lends money to a poor person without ribbis brings him back to life, and one who lends with ribbis is doing the opposite, therefore, middah k’neged middah he doesn’t receive techiyas hameisim. (Chida in Kisay Dovid, Derush 13, and Kesav Sofer)
R’ Yonasan Eibshitz (Tiferes Yonasan, Ki Seitzei) answers, that, שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא – “reward for mitzvos is not given in this world”. Lending money is a mitzvah, and one isn’t supposed to receive reward in this world. Lending to non-Jews is not a mitzvah, therefore, it’s ok to charge ribbis, however, lending to Jew’s is a big mitzvah, and one isn’t supposed to receive reward in this world. If one does, he has already received reward in this world, therefore, he doesn’t merit techiyas hameisim.
R’ Yonasan Eibshitz offers a second answer: One who charges ribbis: מדבר מועט מתהוה דבר מרובה – makes a lot of money from a small thing. Techiyas hamesim works in a similar fashion, from one small bone of the spine, the entire body comes back to life. Measure for measure, one who makes a lot out of small thing is punished, and doesn’t merit techiyas hameisim.
In Ya’ares Devash (Vol. 2, Derush 5) R’ Yonasan offers yet another peshat (mockingly): People say about one who lends with ribbis: “He is very successful, he sleeps in his bed and his money grows and increases every day”. Therefore, in the future when all the dead people arise by techiyas hameisim, people will say, “why should you bother getting up, stay sleeping, your money will increase regardless”.
The Noda B’Yehuda (Ahavas Tziyon, Derush 8) explains: It says in Yeshayah (60:19) that in the future: לא יהיה לך עוד השמש לאור יומם ולנגה הירח לא יאיר לך והיה לך ה' לאור עולם – “There will be no sun to provide light in the day, and the moon will no longer shine, Hashem will be the light of the world”. It’s well known that the passing of time, from day to night, from month to month, from summer to winter, is to do with the movement of the sun, stars and moon. In the future, when there will no longer be a sun and moon and there will just be the light of Hashem, there will be no day and night. One who lends with ribbis eagerly awaits the new day, as he knows that every day that goes by, he gets richer. At night he says, “when is it morning”, and in the morning he says, “when is night”, and he is always waiting for the new month. In the future there will be no zemanim, and he won’t gain money, therefore, he dreads the days of והיה לך ה' לאור עולם - “Hashem will be the light of the world”, ולכן מדויל ידו משתלם עונשו ורצונו יקויים לו ולא יקום לראות באור ה' - “Hashem fulfills his wish and punishes him and ensures that he doesn’t see these days”.
Similarly, it is brought down in the name of the Imrei Chaim (cited in Meir HaChaim, Vol. 4, pg. 384): People say that those who lend with ribbis will not get up by techiyas hameisim, as their entire enjoyment of life is when the days and nights go by, as every new day they earn more money. In the future, when the nights will be lit up as days, and there will be no nights, they won’t gain any money, and they will be upset. Consequently, Hashem doesn’t bring these people back to life, in order to spare them from this terrible pain.
Finally, some explain, Chazal say that in the future the ground will bring forth bread and clothes, and people won’t need to spend anymore. If people don’t need to spend, people won’t need loans, and people who lend with ribbis will have nothing to do, therefore, they don’t get up by techiyas hameisim. (Madanay Asher)
5) The Sefer Kushiyos (ois 128) brings down this question, he writes: מפני מה קוראים אומות העולם ליהודים כלבים – “Why do the nations of the world like to call the Jew’s “Dogs”? He answers, because it says in Devorim (14:1): בנים אתם לה' אלקיכם - “You are sons of Hashem your G-d”, and the gematria [numerical value] of בנים is the same as כלבים (both 102). Additionally, it writes (Vayikra 25:55, this week’s parsha): שראל יני בי לי כ – “Because they are to me, the children of Yisroel.” The beginning letters of these words spell כלבי – my dog.
The Otzer Pelois HaTorah suggests another reason. The Gemara in Kiddushin (70a) teaches: כל הפוסל במומו פוסל – “One who finds fault (in others) (he who charges others as being flawed) is (actually) calling out his own blemish (is himself flawed).” We find that the Torah refers to the Egyptians as dogs. The Torah says (Shemos 11:7): ולכל בני ישראל לא יחרץ כלב לשונו – “Towards Bnei Yisroel, not a dog sharpened it’s tongue” The Tzror HaMe’or explains that this pasuk is talking about the Egyptian’s, and is saying that when Klal Yisroel left Mitzrayim, the Egyptian’s kept completely quiet. Since the non-Jew’s are referred by the Torah as dogs, and one sees his own faults in others, non-Jews call the Jew’s “Dogs”.
