Credit and Usury in Jewish Society in the Mishnah and Talmud

Ben-Zion Rosenfeld, Ph.D. (1982), Bar Ilan University, is Prof. (Em.) of Jewish History. He has published many monographs and articles on Social and Economic History of Rabbinic Literature of Roman Palestine, including research on Greco Roman culture and Early Christianity.

• ContentsPrefaceAbbreviations1 Introduction1.1 Aims and Structure1.2 Credit: A Definition1.3 Sources and Methods1.4 Previous Research, Manuscripts, and Editions1.5 The Structure of the Book2 Credit in Rome and Persia2.1 Credit in the Roman World2.2 Credit in the Parthian and Sasanian Empires3 Credit and Usury in Jewish Society in Palestine and Babylon3.1 Socio-Historical Background3.2 Lenders and Borrowers in Jewish Roman Palestine3.3 The Economy of the Jewish Community of Babylon3.4 Types of Credit in Palestine and Babylon3.5 The Rabbis’ Considerations: Social Justice3.6 Credit in Jewish Society: The Problem of Interest3.7 Expanding the Scope of Usury3.8 Jews and Non-Jews4 “Money for Money”4.1 Introduction4.2 Lending “Money for Money”4.3 Usury in Loans of “Money for Money”4.4 Business Partnership (Iska)5 “Money for Fruit”5.1 Introduction5.2 “Money for Fruit”: Future Sales (Pesika)5.3 Linking a Loan to the Price of a Commodity5.4 Down Payments5.5 Future Sales That Are Not Pesika5.6 Loans against Deduction of Future Tithes from the Field5.7 Summary6 “Fruit for Money”6.1 Introduction6.2 Sale on Credit6.3 Delayed Payment6.4 A Cash Loan Presented as a Two-Sided Sale Transaction6.5 Tarsha: A Talmudic Version of Delayed Payment6.6 “Fruit for Money” in a Partnership6.7 “Iron Flocks”: An Agreement to Ensure the Investor’s Capital6.8 Transport of Merchandise Guaranteeing the “High Price”6.9 Conclusion7 “Fruit for Fruit”7.1 Introduction: In the Roman World7.2 “Fruit for Fruit” in Rabbinic Literature7.3 “Fruit for Fruit” for the Purchase of Seeds7.4 Additional Cases of Usury in Sharecropping7.5 Paying Back a Prohibited Loan of “Fruit for Fruit”7.6 Exchange of Services7.7 Loan of “Denars for Denars”7.8 Conclusion8 The Sages’ Attitude toward Those Involved in Usury8.1 Introduction8.2 Expanding the Prohibition8.3 Combating Usury8.4 Repentance from Usury8.5 Permission to Lend for Interest in Special Cases9 Conclusion9.1 Contributions to Scholarship9.2 EpilogueBibliographyIndex