Mishnah
Mishnah

Halakhah for Bava Metzia 5:11

וְאֵלּוּ עוֹבְרִין בְּלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה. הַמַּלְוֶה, וְהַלֹּוֶה, וְהֶעָרֵב, וְהָעֵדִים. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, אַף הַסּוֹפֵר. עוֹבְרִים מִשּׁוּם לֹא תִתֵּן (ויקרא כה), וּמִשּׁוּם בַּל תִּקַּח מֵאִתּוֹ (שם), וּמִשּׁוּם לֹא תִהְיֶה לוֹ כְּנשֶׁה (שמות כב), וּמִשּׁוּם לֹא תְשִׂימוּן עָלָיו נֶשֶׁךְ (שם), וּמִשּׁוּם וְלִפְנֵי עִוֵּר לֹא תִתֵּן מִכְשֹׁל וְיָרֵאתָ מֵּאֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲנִי ה' (ויקרא יט):

These transgress a negative commandment: the lender, the borrower, the guarantor, and the witness. The sages say: Also the scribe. They transgress (Leviticus 25:37): "You shall not give," (Ibid. 36): "You shall not take from him." (Exodus 22:24): "Do not be to him as a creditor," (Ibid.) "You shall not impose interest upon him," and (Leviticus 19:14): "And before a blind man you shall not place a stumbling-block. And you shall fear your G d; I am the L rd." [The lender transgresses all. The borrower transgresses (Deuteronomy 23:20): "You shall not cause (the taking of) interest" — Do not cause your brother (the lender) to take interest. And he transgresses (Ibid. 21): "And you shall not cause your brother to take interest." And "Before a blind man you shall not place a stumbling-block." The guarantor and the witnesses transgress "You shall not impose interest upon him" alone.]

Sefer HaMitzvot

He prohibited that the lender seek out the borrower, when he knows that he is not able to pay. And that is His saying, "do not be to him as a creditor" (Exodus 22:24). And in the Gemara, Metzia (Bava Metzia 75b): "From where [do we know] about one who is owed one hundred dinars by his fellow and knows that [the latter] does not have [the funds] - that it is forbidden for him to pass in front of him? As it is stated, 'Do not be to him as a creditor' (Exodus 22:24)." And in the Mekhilta (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 22:24:4): "'Do not be to him as a creditor' - do not appear to him at all times." And know that this prohibition also includes one who seeks out a debt of interest. And so did they say (Mishnah Bava Metzia 5:11) - that one who lends with interest transgresses, "do not be to him as a creditor," as I will explain in what follows this. (See Parashat Mishpatim; Mishneh Torah, Creditor and Debtor 4.)
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