You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit.
The Ohr Hachaim continues his previous idea with this possuk.
The Torah is now explaining what precisely is this interest that is prohibited.
אֶת כַסְפְךָ – lit. your money. However, the word כסף can mean ‘things that a person dearly wishes. When a person reaches the pinnacle of his desires, achieving all that he wishes and owning all that he wants, he feeds the neshama that has attached itself to him of his base desires, and it is as though he is poisoning it and biting off pieces from it, dimming its light and dulling its shine. The possuk now reads - אֶת כַסְפְךָ לֹא תִתֵׁן לוֹ בְנֶשֶךְ – do not give him all that you desire, which is something that bites pieces of its essence and purity.
The Torah continues וּבְמַרְ בִית לֹא תִתֵׁן אׇכְלֶךָ – even food, which a person is permitted to enjoy, should not be given with an increased measure. When a person follows the pleasures of his tastebuds and broadens his horizons in permitted pleasures, he dims the light of his soul. When a person’s body is full and satiated, his soul is ravenous. The converse is also true, when a person is careful not to allow his body to be fully satiated with all of its desires, his soul shines and is filled with its purpose. The possuk says צַדִיק אֹכֵׁל לְשֹבַע נַפְשוֹ - The righteous one eats to the satisfaction of his soul. This means that a righteous person does not eat for his pleasure but rather for the benefit of his soul. The person who has welcomed another soul into his for a short period must be careful not to eat too much, and not to act in a way that dims the shine of the guest soul.
The possuk continues with אֲנִי ה' א לוֹקיכֶ ם אֲשֶר הוֹצֵׁאתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵׁאֶרֶץ מִצְרָׁיִם לָׁתֵׁת לָׁכֶם אֶת אֶרֶץ כְנַעַן לִהְיוֹת לָׁכֶם לֵׁאלוֹקים - I am Hashem your G-d, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your G-d. The Torah is now explaining the rationale behind the prohibition against excessive profits through lending money with usury and the other prohibitions of this week’s Parsha, including buying land forever, owning Jewish slaves, and mistreating any slaves. Hashem did not remove us from Mitzrayim so that we could enjoy the physical pleasures Eretz Yisroel has to offer. We were brought to Eretz Yisroel to serve Hashem and accept Hashem’s yoke on our shoulders. We need to stay cognizant of Who is the boss of the land, and His demands from us.
