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Conservative Judaism/Jewish tradition of usury
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Question
Please could you tell me the biblical or historical factors that led to the Jewish tradition of money lending?
Dear Emma,
Please forgive my tardiness. My father passed away and I only returned home from mourning just now.
Jews became involved in money-lending for various reasons. Check jewishencyclopedia.com on-line or the Encyclopedia Judaica in the library for fuller explanations.
Jews were prohibited very early in Church history from owning property, farming, the trades, etc. If they were to survive, they had to develop skills and meet the needs of the nobility and Church. Nobility and Church wanted someone to deal with money and Christianity forbad Christians charging interest: hence Jews became the intermediaries and were tolerated as such.
Secondly, Jews developed early a program of law that included contracts, written checks and courts to enforce these documents that transcended borders, which also made Jews important in economics between Christian Europe and Islamic lands.
Best wishes for a world when no group will be forced into ways of life that then are thrown back at them as epithets - not that this is your intention with the question!
Rabbi Dov
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Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner
Expertise
Write to me with questions about Jewish customs and law, history, philosophy and tradition for answers from a Conservative perspective or conversion. I am a graduate of The Jewish Theological Seminary and a member of the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly. Having served in congregational pulpits since 1970, I now am President of the Foundation For Family Education, Inc. a non-profit educational endeavor. I established it to create new formats of hands-on programs and provide free educational downloads at www.jewishfreeware.org. In addition to general informational questions I welcome your questions about programs for social action, outreach to dual-faith families, inter-faith clergy projects, healing services, education for conversion, adult education for the congregation and the community. If you have questions about Informal and Formal Education I am ready to share my extensive experience with Youth Activities, Camping and Religious School/Hebrew High School on a congregational, community and national/international level.
Experience
I have served on the National Youth Commission for more than 25 years and serve on the Boards of the Conservative Zionist movement MERCAZ and the World Council of Synagogues. I have always dual-families and taught candidates for conversion with a great sense of fulfillment. I am very proud of 25 years on the Jewish camping staff of Camps Ramah. My greatest source of pride is my family! Ask me about them, please!:-)
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