To not refrain from lending before the sabbatical year: To not refrain from lending to those that need, due to fear of the sabbatical year, that it not remove the debt. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 15:9), “Guard yourself, lest there be a wanton thing in your heart saying, ‘The sabbatical year is approaching.’” And the language of Sifrei Devarim 117 is “‘Guard yourself’ as a negative commandment; ‘lest there be’ as a negative commandment” — meaning to say that these two negative commandments come about this matter, one after the other to strengthen [it].
It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] to strengthen and to fix the trait of generosity in our hearts and to completely distance the trait of stinginess. And there is no more generous person in the world than one who lends out his money while knowing that the time is approaching to release his loan and to lose it for him — if maybe some accident will occur or some circumstance that he will not be able to claim his loan before the sabbatical year. And anyone who understands the ways of the Torah and grasps to understand even a little of the grace of its value knows with certainty that “one who distributes his money to the ones that need it, will have more added; but the one who refrains from the straight [deeds], it will be [a cause] for lacking.” As God, may He be blessed, judges a man according to his deeds, and endows him from His blessing according to his coming close to it. And the trait of stinginess is an iron partition between him and the blessing, whereas generosity is a part of the blessing. And [so] it comes out that the one that practices it is [already] in it. “The wise man listens and adds insight.”
And the prohibition is practiced by males and females in any place and at all times. As even at this time, when the release of monies is not practiced from Torah writ, but only from rabbinic writ; nonetheless we are [still] warned to not refrain from lending to the one that needs it out of fear of the sabbatical year — that releases rabbinically at this time and from Torah writ at the time of the [Temple]. And one who transgresses it and refrains from lending to the one who needs it has violated a negative commandment. But there are no lashes for it, as there is no act [involved] with it.
And maybe it will come to your thought, my son, to say, “And why should a person ever refrain from lending because of this; and why was a negative commandment written about this — is it not in our hand to make a condition with him, on condition that it not be released in the seventh [year] and in the way that we always do in our contracts?” Let this thing not confuse you, as the Torah warns us about things, even though it is possible [to circumvent them] with ordinances and conditions.
שֶׁלֹּא נִמָּנַע מִלְּהַלְווֹת קֹדֶם שְׁמִטָּה – שֶׁלֹּא לְהִמָּנַע מֵהַלְווֹת אֶל הַצְּרִיכִים מִפְּנֵי פַּחַד הַשְּׁמִטָּה שֶׁלֹּא תַּפְקִיעַ הַחוֹב, וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (דברים טו ט), הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן יִהְיֶה דָבָר עִם לְבָבְךָ בְלִיַּעַל לֵאמֹר קָרְבָה שְׁנַת הַשֶּׁבַע. וּלְשׁוֹן סִפְרֵי (כאן) הִשָּׁמֶר בְּלֹא תַּעֲשֶׂה, פֶּן יִהְיֶה בְּלֹא תַּעֲשֶׂה, כְּלוֹמַר, שֶׁאֵלּוּ שְׁנֵי לָאוִין בָּאוּ בְּזֶה הָעִנְיָן, זֶה אַחַר זֶה לְחִזּוּק.
To not refrain from lending before the sabbatical year: To not refrain from lending to those that need, due to fear of the sabbatical year, that it not remove the debt. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 15:9), “Guard yourself, lest there be a wanton thing in your heart saying, ‘The sabbatical year is approaching.’” And the language of Sifrei Devarim 117 is “‘Guard yourself’ as a negative commandment; ‘lest there be’ as a negative commandment” — meaning to say that these two negative commandments come about this matter, one after the other to strengthen [it].
מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי הַמִּצְוָה. לְחַזֵּק וְלִקְבֹּעַ בִּלְבָבֵנוּ מִדַּת הַנְּדִיבוּת, וּלְהַרְחִיק תַּכְלִית הַהַרְחָקָה מִדַּת הַכִּילוּת, וְאֵין נָדִיב בְּעוֹלָם כְּמַלְוֶה מְעוֹתָיו עִם הֱיוֹתוֹ יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהַזְּמַן קָרֵב לְהַשְׁמִיט הַלְוָאָתוֹ וּלְהַפְסִידָהּ מִמֶּנּוּ, אִם אוּלַי יֶאֱרַע בּוֹ אֹנֶס אוֹ שׁוּם מִקְרֶה שֶׁלֹּא יוּכַל לִתְבֹּעַ הַלְוָאָתוֹ קֹדֶם שְׁנַת הַשְּׁמִטָּה. וְכָל מֵבִין דַּרְכֵי הַתּוֹרָה וּמַשִּׂיג לָדַעַת אֲפִלּוּ מְעַט בְּחִין עֶרְכָּהּ יֵדַע בְּבֵרוּר, כִּי הַמְּפַזֵּר מָמוֹנוֹ אֶל הַצְּרִיכִים, נוֹסָף עוֹד, וְחוֹשֵׂךְ מִיֹּשֶׁר אַךְ לְמַחְסוֹר, כִּי הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ יָדִין אֶת הָאָדָם לְפִי מַעֲשָׂיו, וְיַעֲנִיקֵהוּ מִבִּרְכָתוֹ כְּפִי הִתְקָרְבוֹ אֵלֶיהָ, וּמִדַּת הַכִּילוּת מְחִצָּה שֶׁל בַּרְזֶל בֵּינוֹ וּבֵין הַבְּרָכָה, וְהַנְּדִיבוּת חֵלֶק מֵחֶלְקֵי הַבְּרָכָה, וְנִמְצָא הַמִּתְנַהֵג בָּהּ שֶׁהוּא בְּתוֹכָהּ, יִשְׁמַע חָכָם וְיוֹסֶף לֶקַח.
It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] to strengthen and to fix the trait of generosity in our hearts and to completely distance the trait of stinginess. And there is no more generous person in the world than one who lends out his money while knowing that the time is approaching to release his loan and to lose it for him — if maybe some accident will occur or some circumstance that he will not be able to claim his loan before the sabbatical year. And anyone who understands the ways of the Torah and grasps to understand even a little of the grace of its value knows with certainty that “one who distributes his money to the ones that need it, will have more added; but the one who refrains from the straight [deeds], it will be [a cause] for lacking.” As God, may He be blessed, judges a man according to his deeds, and endows him from His blessing according to his coming close to it. And the trait of stinginess is an iron partition between him and the blessing, whereas generosity is a part of the blessing. And [so] it comes out that the one that practices it is [already] in it. “The wise man listens and adds insight.”
דִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה קְצָרִים כְּלוּלִים בִּפְשַׁט הַכָּתוּב לְפִי דַּעְתִּי.
The laws of the commandment are short [and] included in the simple understanding of the verse, according to my opinion.
וְנוֹהֵג אִסּוּר זֶה בִּזְכָרִים וּבִנְקֵבוֹת בְּכָל מָקוֹם וּבְכָל זְמַן, שֶׁאַף בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה שֶׁאֵין שְׁמִטַּת כְּסָפִים נוֹהֶגֶת מִן הַתּוֹרָה אֶלָּא מִדְּרַבָּנָן, מִכָּל מָקוֹם אָנוּ מֻזְהָרִים גַּם כֵּן שֶׁלֹּא נִמָּנַע מִלְּהַלְווֹת אֶל הַצָּרִיךְ מִפְּנֵי פַּחַד שְׁנַת הַשְּׁמִטָּה שֶׁמַּשְׁמֶטֶת מִדְּרַבָּנָן בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה, וּמִן הַתּוֹרָה בִּזְמַן הַבַּיִת. וְהָעוֹבֵר עַל זֶה וְנִמְנָע מִלְּהַלְווֹת אֶל הַצָּרִיךְ מִפְּנֵי זֶה, עָבַר עַל לָאו, אֲבָל אֵין בּוֹ מַלְקוּת, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה.
And the prohibition is practiced by males and females in any place and at all times. As even at this time, when the release of monies is not practiced from Torah writ, but only from rabbinic writ; nonetheless we are [still] warned to not refrain from lending to the one that needs it out of fear of the sabbatical year — that releases rabbinically at this time and from Torah writ at the time of the [Temple]. And one who transgresses it and refrains from lending to the one who needs it has violated a negative commandment. But there are no lashes for it, as there is no act [involved] with it.
וְאוּלַי יַעֲלֶה בְּמַחְשַׁבְתְּךָ בְּנִי לֵאמֹר, וְאֵיךְ יִמָּנַע אָדָם מֵהַלְוָאָה לְעוֹלָם מִפְּנֵי זֶה, וְלָמָּה נִכְתַּב עַל זֶה לָאו, וַהֲלֹא בְּיָדוֹ לְהַתְנוֹת עִמּוֹ עַל מְנָת שֶׁלֹּא תַּשְׁמִיטֶנּוּ בִּשְׁבִיעִית, וּכְדֶרֶךְ שֶׁאָנוּ עוֹשִׂין תָּמִיד בְּשִׁטְרוֹתֵינוּ? אַל יַבְהִילְךָ דָּבָר זֶה, כִּי הַתּוֹרָה תַּזְהִירֵנוּ בִּדְבָרִים, וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר בְּתַקָּנוֹת וּתְנָאִים.
And maybe it will come to your thought, my son, to say, “And why should a person ever refrain from lending because of this; and why was a negative commandment written about this — is it not in our hand to make a condition with him, on condition that it not be released in the seventh [year] and in the way that we always do in our contracts?” Let this thing not confuse you, as the Torah warns us about things, even though it is possible [to circumvent them] with ordinances and conditions.