Have laws concerning usury in the Torah been replaced by secular laws?

by Rabbi Naftali Silberberg

Library » Daily Life » Business Issues | Subscribe | What is RSS? PRINT EMAIL COMMENT No, they haven't been replaced--Torah laws are still in place. However, Torah says that in business issues, we ALSO have to follow the rule of the land. The Halachic term for this concept is “Dina Demalchuta Dina,” one must abide by the laws of the country. This means that we always follow the stricter set of laws: if Jewish law forbids a certain loan then it is forbidden even if it is allowed under the statutes of the land. Similarly, it is forbidden to engage in a loan which is allowed by the Torah1 but forbidden by the law of the land. Footnotes 1. There are certain instances when it is permitted to lend or borrow from a Jew with interest. A PRACTICING RABBI MUST BE CONSULTED TO FACILITATE SUCH A LOAN. TAGS: usury, interest ADD A COMMENT Please email me when new comments are posted (you must be  logged in). Email to a friend Post a comment cancel Loading...