Favors to Lender

Granting Favors to a Lender 

The  prohibition of ribis (interest)  applies to anything a borrower grants to the lender beyond the repayment of the loan, even if only verbal, like granting a blessing or expressing thanksgiving. This article addresses specifically favors granted to the lender. A borrower may not grant favors to a lender as long as the loan is still outstanding; once the loan has been repaid other laws apply. However, if the favor has no connection to the loan as the borrower would be doing it regardless of the loan, he may continue doing so. The favor should not be done publicly—unless it’s common knowledge that it has no connection to the loan, because he has been accustomed to doing this favor previously. 

Borrowing another’s possessions without their knowledge is not permitted by halachah—unless the owner regularly allows it. However, once the loan has been granted, the lender may not take something from the borrower without his express permission, even if the borrower has always allowed it, as it gives the impression that having granted the loan gives him the right to borrow this item (without express permission). The lender may only access the borrower’s possessions without express permission (after granting the loan) in case the two are close friends and were accustomed to using each other’s possessions without permission prior to the granting of the loan. #290?1

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Practical Halacha: One minute a day. By Horav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, shlita, Mara D'asra and member of the Badatz of Crown Heights.