Daily Ribbis Questions

And we find in the Gemara two concepts, many concepts, but the two concepts that I'd like to focus on today is the concept of Sabisa and the concept of Sabisa Said.

Sabisa means that Chazal answered a person From lending his friend one saw of wheat, I'll deny that he pay him back one saw of wheat.

Okay? So in other words, what we're saying is that you can't lend your friend a five-pound bag of flour, but deny that he pay you back a five-pound bag of flour.

Now the question is, why not? That sounds very straight and very straightforward.

So the answer is...

And this is a concept that is to know whenever you touch upon is the reason why we don't understand what's wrong with a five-pound bag of flour is because we look at it that the loan that's taking place is on a five-pound bag of flour.

Chazal understood it that no, the loan is on the value of the five pound bag of flour.

So if let's say a five pound bag of flour is worth $5, that means I lent you $5.

I gave you $5.

By giving you a bag of flour, I gave it to you in Shavuot, but in essence, I lent you $5.

And if the condition is that I have to pay you back a bag of flour, regardless of how much that flour is going to be worth when I repay you, so potentially, I lent you $5.

five dollars.

I'm demanding back a five pound bag of flour, which at that time can be worth six dollars.

So in essence, you lent me, I lent you five and you gave me back six.

This is ribis terah banan.

But again, the essay is that we're not looking at the loan as the specific item that was lent, but rather we're looking at the loan in the value of the item, So automatically, anytime I lend you something with the condition, I'm not talking about you borrow my car, you're giving me back my car.

I'm talking about an item that's going to be used and then returned.

So what's happening is I'm giving it to you.

You only $5.

And if I demand that you pay me back a five pound bag of flour, that's $5.50. Clear enough? Fine.

According to this, it would come out.

Let's take something today that would fluctuate.

I lent you a dozen eggs, and I tell you to repay me a dozen eggs.

So in essence, the way we're looking at it is if I lent you a dozen eggs when a dozen eggs was $2.29, So I lent you $2.29.

If you pay me back a month later and now it's $6.05.