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Why does the Rambam (רמב"ם) say it's a mitzvah (מצוה)—not just permitted—to charge interest to a non-Jew? The shiur develops that lending without interest is only meaningful within the brotherhood framework of "lo ta'avit es achicha." Charging interest to a non-Jew preserves his self-respect as an equal business party and reinforces the boundary that defines Jewish family unity.
The shiur opens with a fundamental question on the mitzvah (מצוה) of ribis (interest): Rashi (רש"י) holds that charging interest to a non-Jew is permitted but not obligatory, while the Rambam (רמב"ם) in Sefer HaMitzvos rules it is an actual mitzvah to charge interest to a non-Jew. This needs explanation—why would there be a mitzvah to charge interest? Rabbi Zweig initially presents a reading of the Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim: since non-Jews lend money to each other with interest, we are permitted to do the same. This raises a philosophical question: should a person be judged by his own standard of morality or by another's? The world typically holds Jews to a higher standard—the Jewish standard—rather than the gentile standard. The Rambam seems to argue the opposite: we should only be judged by the standard of morality practiced by those we interact with. While this is a possible approach, it remains somewhat unsatisfying because one could argue that if you know better, you should act according to your higher standard regardless of what others do.
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Ki Seitzei (Devarim 23:20-21)
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