In Parshas Behar we read about the prohibition of lending money with interest. Our sages expound the severe sin of charging interest when lending money to our fellow Jews and it is somewhat perplexing why this is considered such a terrible sin. Of course a person should be willing to help their fellow jew that is in need and that would mean if they have extra money that they aren't using to help out their fellow Jew. Furthermore, it is clear that if their fellow Jew is in need of a loan then charging them interest will generally cause them more harm as they will just dig themselves into debt. That being said though, isn't this the normal way of doing business? The Torah doesn't prohibit other kinds of normal business dealings. Why do they treat charging interest so harshly?

The Kil Yakar offers an interesting explanation for the reasoning behind this prohibition. He explains that in other forms of business dealings a person is actively engaged in the business or work. They need to buy and sell, plow and reap or whatever else might be their occupation. When it comes to people that lend money with interest they are making money by essentially doing nothing. They sit idle and their money does the work. They have a guaranteed return and essentially don't need to work. A person engaged in this kind of business is at risk of feeling too secure in the sense that they no longer put any trust or faith in Hashem. They will forget that the real source of their sustenance is Hashem and that is why it is such a severe sin to engage in.

Shabbat Shalom,

Heath