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Why does Torah (תורה) forbid charging interest when both lender and borrower would feel more comfortable with it? The shiur presents a fundamental yesod: when lending to a Jew, the starting point is an obligation to gift money. The loan structure exists solely to preserve the borrower's dignity. Since the lender should view it as a gift, charging for "waiting" (ribbis) contradicts the mitzvah (מצוה)'s essence.
Rabbi Zweig addresses the fundamental difficulty of understanding the Torah (תורה)'s prohibition of ribbis (interest). The question is not merely halachic but conceptual: why can't one charge for lending money when one can charge rent for chairs? Moreover, borrowers themselves typically want to pay interest to avoid feeling indebted. The shiur explores several textual difficulties in Parshas Mishpatim, including why the Torah uses the conditional word "im" (if) when commanding loans, the Mizrachi's question about why a pasuk is needed to prioritize a Jewish borrower over a gentile one, and the Ramban (רמב"ן)'s difficulty with the phrase "ki chanun ani" (because I am gracious). The core insight of the shiur is that the Torah's mitzvah (מצוה) is not fundamentally about lending but about giving. When a Jew needs money, the Torah obligation is to gift it to them as tzedakah. The loan structure is merely a mechanism to preserve the borrower's dignity—many people feel humiliated receiving outright gifts and prefer the structure of a loan. The famous prayer "al tavieinu l'yedei matnas basar vadam" (do not bring us to receive gifts from people) reflects this sensitivity.
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Parshas Mishpatim, Shemos 22:24-26
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