The Weekly Daf #29 Bava Metzia 65-71 Week of 18 - 24 Elul 5754 / 25 - 31 August 1994 By Rabbi Mendel Weinbach, Dean, Ohr Somayach Institutions ========================================================================= This issue is dedicated in the memory of Roslyn Seltzer-Leventhal ========================================================================= When a Discount Counts The Cases: Case 1: A landlord says to a tenant about to rent his house for a year: "If you pay me in advance I will charge you ten sela for the entire year. But if you pay me at the end of each month I will charge you a sela for each month." Case 2: A seller says to the buyer of his field: "If you pay me now I will charge you a thousand zuz. But if you want me to wait until you sell your crops and raise the cash I will charge you 1200 zuz for the field." The Ruling: In the first case this is a legitimate arrangement but in the second case such an arrangement is forbidden because it is a form of usury. The Reason: Rent is not due until the end of each month and the real price is 12 sela for the year. The landlord is therefore only offering a discount on the rent if paid in advance and there is no usury. The buyer of a field, however, is obligated to pay immediately so that the any extra amount he pays for the privilege of holding on to this money is considered usury. Bava Metzia 65a ========================================================================= A Different Kind of Credit Rating "When you shall lend money to My people, the poor man who is with you" is the Torah's way of establishing an order of priority as to whom you should offer an interest-free loan from limited funds. A fellow Jew comes before another even if the latter is paying interest. A poor man takes precedence over a prosperous one. A needy relative comes before a needy neighbor, and A needy townsman comes before a needy man from another community. (The same set of priorities also applies to charity -- Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 251:3.) Bava Metzia 71a ========================================================================= -> Get Ready for the Ohr Somayach Winter JLE <- 3 weeks of study and touring (Departure December 22) Minimum scholarship price: $599 Covers round trip ticket, room, board, tuition and tours Contact Rabbi Zalman Corlin for details ========================================================================= Ohr Somayach is proud to announce: The Jerusalem Echoes Audio Library Catalog - On Line!! Accessing this catalog couldn't be easier. If you access from Internet, issue the command: gopher jerusalem1.datasrv.co.il at your prompt, or just find "Jerusalem1" listed on the gopher you already have access to. America-On-Line users can access the j1 gopher through the GOPHER/WAIS area within AOL. Once you are in, look for "Religious Institutions" and then "Ohr Somayach." This service is available _exclusively_ on Jerusalem1. We are sorry to say that this means that users without access to Gopher (such as those on Compuserve & Prodigy) will not be able to access this service. ========================================================================= Ohr Somayach Institutions is proud to present a new list: "Yachad" (Together) A monthly list designed for Alumni of Ohr Somayach Jerusalem. Each month, you'll be able to: o Read brief articles written by your former Rabbis. o Read brief esssays submitted by Alumni. o Find out what's happening at Ohr Somayach world-wide. o Share your "Special Occasions" and post personal notices. To subscribe, send the message: sub os-alum {firstname} {lastname} to: listserv@jerusalem1.datasrv.co.il ========================================================================= Dedication opportunities are available for The Weekly Daf Please contact us for details. ========================================================================= Jewish L EEEEEEEE Prepared by Ohr Somayach Institutions J L E 22 Shimon Hatzadik Street, POB 18103 J L Exchange Jerusalem 91180, Israel J J L E Tel: 02-810315 Fax: 02-812890 JJJJ Learning EEEEEEEE Internet: newman@jerusalem1.datasrv.co.il ========================================================================= (C) 1994 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved. This publication may be distributed to another person intact without prior permission. We also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as synagogue newsletters. However, we ask that you contact us beforehand for permission.