“You shall not take from him interest…” Vayikra 25:36

Why is it forbidden to take interest from another Jew? Don’t I have a right to make a few dollars?

I learned an important lesson on a Friday night a few years ago. That afternoon, I received in the mail a bill for my car insurance. I had been with the same company for a few years and both my wife and I had a perfect driving record. Neither of us had received any tickets nor had we been in any accidents. I opened the bill and saw that my monthly payment had increased by over $30. Money was tight and this greatly upset me. I could barely pay my regular bills and now they wanted me to pay over $300 a year more! I hadn’t done anything wrong. I was upset.

I went to shul that afternoon in a bad mood. I davened Mincha, but did not have much concentration. I started to daven Kabbalas Shabbos and still could only focus on this bill. Then during Lecha Dodi, my thought process finally began to change. I finally realized that Hashem is the One in charge of my finances. I decided to let Him take control.

The next week, I spoke to a friend about my car insurance and he recommended that I contact a certain nationally known company, as they gave him a really good deal. A second person also recommended the same company. I called them up and when I got a quote, my mouth dropped. Not only was the quote lower than my new payment amount, it was about $30 lower than what I paid before they raised my monthly payment.

The Chofetz Chaim points out that one who keeps the mitzvah of not taking interest shows that he truly believes Hashem has power over everything. He believes that Hashem provides for the needs of everyone fully and will provide for him even though he does not take advantage of this opportunity to gain more money by taking interest. Someone who transgresses this mitzvah is showing that he believes he is in charge of his money and that only through his own actions can he succeed.

Hashem knows how much money we have and how much money we need. Even if it seems like our finances are not going to work out and we think we need to perform illegal acts to be able to pay our bills, we need to realize that this is not correct. Hashem works things out. Even when it looks hopeless, like I was thinking when I received my new car insurance bill, Hashem will make sure your financial situation turns out for the best.

Good Shabbos!
-yes
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