Loans and interest in Judaism in the context of "Napoleon and the Jews"

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⭐ Core Definition: Loans and interest in Judaism

The subject of loans and interest in Judaism has a long and complex history. In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Ezekiel classifies the charging of interest among the worst sins, denouncing it as an abomination and metaphorically portraying usurers as people who have shed the borrower's blood. (See Ezekiel 18:13 and 18:17.) The Talmud dwells on Ezekiel's condemnation of charging interest.

The Torah and Talmud encourage lending money without interest. But the halakha (Jewish law) that prescribes interest-free loans applies to loans made to other Jews, however not exclusively. Rabbi Isaac Abarbanel, however, declared that the acceptance of interest from non-Jews does not apply to Christians or Muslims, as their faith systems are also Abrahamic and therefore share a common ethical basis.

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👉 Loans and interest in Judaism in the context of Napoleon and the Jews

The first laws to emancipate Jews in France were enacted during the French Revolution, establishing French Jews as citizens equal to other Frenchmen. In countries that Napoleon Bonaparte's ensuing Consulate and French Empire conquered during the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon emancipated the Jews and introduced other ideas of liberty. Napoleon overrode old laws restricting Jews to ghettos and forcing them to wear badges identifying them as Jewish. In Malta, Napoleon ended the enslavement of Jews and permitted the construction of synagogues. He also lifted laws across Europe that limited Jews' rights to property, worship, and certain occupations. In anticipation of a victory in the Holy Land that failed to come about, he wrote a proclamation published in April 1799 for a Jewish homeland there.

In an effort to promote Jewish integration into French society, however, Napoleon also implemented several policies that eroded Jewish separateness. He restricted the practice of Jews lending money in the 1806 Decree on Jews and Usury, restricted the regions to which Jews were allowed to migrate, and required Jews to adopt formal names. He also implemented a series of consistories, which served as an effective channel utilised by the French government to regulate Jewish religious life.

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Loans and interest in Judaism in the context of Usury

Usury (/ˈjuːʒəri/) is the practice of making loans that are seen as unfairly enriching the lender. The term may be used in a moral sense—condemning taking advantage of others' misfortunes—or in a legal sense, where an interest rate is charged in excess of the maximum rate that is allowed by law. A loan may be considered usurious because of excessive or abusive interest rates or other factors defined by the laws of a state. Someone who practises usury can be called a usurer, but in modern colloquial English may be called a loan shark.

In many historical societies including ancient Christian, Jewish, and Islamic societies, usury meant the charging of interest of any kind, and was considered wrong, or was made illegal. During the Sutra period in India (7th to 2nd centuries BC) there were laws prohibiting the highest castes from practising usury. Similar condemnations are found in religious texts from Buddhism, Judaism (ribbit in Hebrew), Christianity, and Islam (riba in Arabic). At times, many states from ancient Greece to ancient Rome have outlawed loans with any interest. Though the Roman Empire eventually allowed loans with carefully restricted interest rates, the Catholic Church in medieval Europe, as well as the Reformed Churches, regarded the charging of interest at any rate as sinful (as well as charging a fee for the use of money, such as at a bureau de change). Christian religious prohibitions on usury are predicated upon the belief that charging interest on a loan is a sin.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Usury ← Napoleon and the Jews
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Hebrew Bible → Book of Ezekiel → Interest → Sin → Metaphor → Usury → Debtor → Talmud → Torah → Loan → Halakha → Interest-free → Isaac Abarbanel → Abrahamic religions →