אֶת כַּסְפְּךָ לֹא תִתֵּן לוֹ בְּנֶשֶׁךְ וּבְמַרְבִּית לֹא תִתֵּן אָכְלֶךָ: אֲנִי ד’ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם לָתֵת לָכֶם אֶת אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹקִים… אשר הוצאתי וגו’- והבחנתי בין בכור לשאינו בכור, אף אני יודע ונפרע מן המלווה מעות לישראל בריבית ואומר של נוכרי הם. דבר אחר אשר הוצאתי אתכם מארץ מצרים על מנת שתקבלו עליכם מצוותי אפילו הן כבדות עליכם.” (רש”י ויקרא כ”ה ל”ז – ל”ח)
Rashi: “That I took you out of Egypt- And I distinguished between one who was a firstborn and one who was not, so too I know and will exact payment from one who lends money to a Yisroel for ribbis and claims that the money belongs to a gentile. Another explanation: that I took you out of Egypt on condition that you accept upon yourselves my commandments, even though they weigh heavily upon you.”
Every person has his own way of relating to money: one person is careless with money, while another is stingy, and so on. But most people do not really consider their approach to money to play a central role in who they are. Yet the Rashi above compares taking ribbis (interest) to the distinction Hakadosh Baruch Hu made in Egypt between a firstborn and a non-firstborn. This is not solely a question of seeing that which is hidden; it is a matter of depth. A firstborn is distinguished by tracing back to the moment of conception, to his origin, as the Gemara says, “It was I who distinguished in Egypt between the seed which (developed into) a firstborn and the seed which did not, so too it is I who will exact payment from one who lends money to a Yisroel with interest and claims that the money belongs to a gentile.” (Bava Metzia 61b) Apparently, how we relate to money lays at the very root of our personalities.
It is basic human nature to want to touch the entire world, to influence it and change it, to leave one’s mark. In fact, it is a central facet of Man’s being. Thus, it was Adam Harishon who gave names to “all the animals, and the birds of the sky, and all the beasts of the field,” (Breishis 2:20) meaning that it is the role of Man to shape the world and give it meaning. Prior to the original sin of Adam Harishon, Man’s ability to shape and form the world was almost limitless. He stood at the center of creation; he had only to desire a roll of bread, and it would simply sprout from the ground. After the original sin, all this changed: “The land is accursed because of you, with sadness you will eat all the days of your life. And bitter plants will grow for you, and you will eat the grass of the field.” (Breishis 3:17-18) The world does not yield so easily to Man; change is slow and painstaking.
Money represents more than just the ability to purchase what we need or want; it is an extremely useful vehicle for affecting the world. Take Bill Gates: with his money, he has reached the heights of philanthropy, and wields significant influence throughout the world. And this is holds true for all of us, not just for multi-billionaires. We use money to foster relationships, gain influence, and support causes we believe in. To some degree, it allows us to return to the original state of Man, when he could so meaningfully, yet effortlessly, influence the world. If we want to be good, money allows us to be very good, and if we want to be bad, it allows us to be very bad. With money, every desire or middah is amplified and takes on a greater dimension.
Thus, in commanding us not to lend with interest, the Torah is requiring us to change on a deep and basic level. Money is one of the most powerful means available to us for influencing our surroundings, and instinctively, we want utilize that potential and to increase it. Instead, we hand our money over to another, where our money accomplishes nothing for us. As Rashi comments on an earlier passuk, “מעותיו שהיו בטלות אצלו” – his money that was not doing anything. Someone who “lends money to a Yisroel for ribbis and claims that the money belongs to a gentile”, keeps returning to the issur in different ways because he is unable or unwilling to make this fundamental change. The Torah therefore tells us that Hakadosh Baruch Hu examines us on the most basic level, as He did in Egypt: “It was I who distinguished in Egypt between the seed which (developed into) a firstborn and the seed which did not…”
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So how should we use our money? There is more than one way, but Rashi does provide us with a valuable illustration in his commentary on the mitzvah to lend money to a fellow in need: “למה זה דומה, למשאוי שעל החמור, עודהו על החמור אחד תופס בו ומעמידו, נפל לארץ, חמשה אין מעמידין אותו” – To what is this comparable? To a burden which sits upon a donkey, that as long as it is still on the donkey, one person can grab it and hold it up. But once it falls to the ground, even five people cannot hold it up. Why is it so much easier to hold the burden before it falls? Because really the donkey is holding it up; you are only helping that it should stay on him. Similarly with a loan, the borrower is still the one doing the work; only the lender is enabling him to do so. In this instance, we are using our money to change the world, but not in the way of a “conqueror”. It’s not all about “me”. To the contrary, we use our money to influence the world by giving others their place.