142. Playing Monopoly
Monopoly is a children’s game that often includes the payment of ribis, interest. One player gives a loan to another, who then has to repay the loan with an additional item, which can be a violation of the issur of ribis. Even though it is only a game, we, as Jewish parents have a mitzvah of chinuch, a duty to train our children to keep all the mitzvos, and just as we train them to keep Shabbos, we should teach them not to violate the laws of ribis. Surely if our children were to play a game in which they act out chilul Shabbos, the desecration of Shabbos, Gd forbid, or any aveira (sin) in fact, we would not allow it. This is not a clear halachah brought down in poskim, but it is important from an educational perspective, an idea in chinuch to contemplate seriously.
Addendum: The following is our response to the unprecedented number of questions raised by our observations about the game of Monopoly:
Parents have a responsibility to ensure that their children play games in a kosher manner. When our children trade toys with each other that are not of equal value, they are paying or receiving actual ribis in real life?and for keeps. In fact, one contemporary sefer on the topic of ribis authored by Rabbi Pinchas Vind, has a complete section dedicated to children’s pastimes involving payment of ribis.
We would like to reiterate that playing the game of Monopoly is not against halachah per se, since it is only a game, where players act out ribis. However, being mechanech our children in what is permissible according to Torah Law and what is not is the responsibility of every parent. Indeed, the Gemara (B.M. 75a) tells us that parents should take precaution that children do not develop a taste for ribis, even when it is not a true violation of ribis (see Ritva ibid.). The rules of Monopoly do, in fact, entail acting out the payment of ribis. Following are some excerpts from the official rules of MONOPOLY®: “To de-mortgage a property a player must pay interest of 10% in addition to the mortgage price. Whenever a mortgaged property changes hands between players, either through a trade, sale or by bankruptcy, the new owner must immediately pay 10% interest on the mortgage and at their option may pay the principal or hold the property. If the player holds the property and later wishes to lift the mortgage they must pay the 10% interest again as well as the principal." Parents should consider alternative arrangements in which Monopoly or other games played by their children do not involve even a semblance of ribis.