Facing up to resentment

Giving his parashah shiur on Friday morning, Rabbi Wein spoke powerfully about his own personal experiences in tackling the mitzvah of lending money to others. The difficulties involved in performing this mitzvah are recognized in Shakespeare's Hamlet, where Polonius (right) advises his son Laertes (left):

            Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
            For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
            And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.

For the practising Jew, Rabbi Wein explained, lending to others is a mitzvah like any other -- and it is certainly one of the more difficult ones, not least because of the complexity of the psychology that attaches to any relationship based on loan and repayment.

This shiur, recorded on YouTube, drew the following comment from an unnamed viewer:

This was so validating. To hear we are not the only ones who've held on to the slight resentment of being taken advantage of after giving a significant so-called loan. Maybe now that I've heard this, I'll be able to fully let it go after all these years. Thank you.

Most of the Hanassi shiurim by Rabbis Wein and Kenigsberg appear on the shul’s YouTube channel, but not everyone knows that it is possible to post comments. If you enjoy our shiurim—and even if you don’t—you are all invited to share your comments.

Rabbi Wein’s shiur on borrowing and repaying loans can be accessed here.