Ribbis? I’m not a businessman! What’s it got to do with me? The Torah prohibits Jews from charging interest on loans to one another, but it’s more complicated than you might think. Never before in history have we had the financial structures that we have today. Banks, pension funds and mortgages can all contain contracts that infringe on the prohibition of ribbis. 

Why Learn about the Jewish Prohibition on Interest

Strangely, despite the fact that the Jewish prohibition on interest is rampant, few people study this mitzvah and understand all the laws. As a result, they don’t realize that ribbis isn’t only relevant when dealing with money. Neighbors, classmates and friends are constantly coming into contact with interest issues, often without realizing it!

In this series, you’ll learn how to define ribbis, why it’s forbidden according to halacha, how it applies to non-monetary items, whom the laws apply to and when ribbis doesn’t apply.