Not to refrain from lending immediately before the release of the loans for fear of monetary loss

Faith – אֱמוּנָה

• Rambam (Hilchot Shemitah V’Yovel 9:7) teaches that lending despite Shemitah shows trust that Hashem provides wealth, not human calculation or fear of loss.

Justice – צֶדֶק

• Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 479) explains that refusing loans would undermine fairness and trap the poor in cycles of deprivation, violating the Torah’s demand for justice.

Compassion – רַחֲמִים

• Rashi (Deut. 15:9) highlights that the cry of the needy reaches Hashem when loans are withheld. Compassion requires opening one’s hand despite risk.

Charity – צְדָקָה

• The mitzvah embodies charity by obligating financial support even when repayment is uncertain, ensuring the poor are not abandoned in their time of need.

Community – קְהִלָּה

• Talmud (Gittin 37a) teaches that prozbul was instituted so community support would continue. Withholding loans fractures communal solidarity.

Shemitah – שְׁמִטָּה

• Deuteronomy 15:9 connects this prohibition to Shemitah’s cycle of release, ensuring that the holiness of Shemitah includes generosity at its approach.

Monetary Laws – דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת

• Rambam places this prohibition within Shemitah’s financial framework, making it a binding rule of monetary conduct in Torah law.

Loans – הַלְוָאָה

• This mitzvah directly governs lending practices, forbidding refusal to extend loans even when the Shemitah year is imminent.

Bein Adam L’Makom – בֵּין אָדָם לְמָקוֹם

• Ramban interprets withholding loans as “בְּלִיַּעַל,” rebellion against G-d. Lending despite Shemitah is loyalty to His command.

Bein Adam L’Chavero – בֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ

• The mitzvah protects the needy from abandonment, affirming kindness and responsibility between people. (Sefer HaChinuch 479.)