Ribbis: Matters of Interest

Favors for the lender

Regarding favors in ribbis, the
following levels of friendship and favors are discussed in halachah:

Acquaintances: Favors one would not have done
otherwise: A private favor the borrower
would not have done previously for the lender, may not be extended to the
lender during the loan period (i.e., using the lender’s alarm clock without
permission) even with the lender’s knowledge.

Friends: Favors they would have done: The borrower may extend or benefit
the lender with private favors he would have done regardless of the loan, even
though he may have never done so yet. Such favors require the borrower’s
knowledge, and cannot be offered in public.

Close friends: In this case, certain poskim allow even public favors if the
favors had been extended previously (it does not suffice to assume he would
have done them) and are not perceived as loan related. One must ascertain that
the favor is identical to the one extended previously. If he had always
extended the favor even without knowledge (allowing to use the alarm clock when
not asked permission) then it would be permitted after as well. If the borrower
only extended favors with knowledge, he may not do so now without knowledge.

Therefore, one would be allowed to
buy a present only if he would have done so regardless of the loan. Otherwise,
it is considered ribbis. This would be forbidden even after paying up the loan
(ribbis meucheres; see overview for ways to
avoid this).

Rav Moshe Feinstein z”l writes that
becoming friends through a loan qualifies as friendship, and favors may be
extended within the aforementioned parameters.

—

If a teacher lent a student money
for a taxi, the student may chip in for a chanukah present for the teacher. It
is logical to assume that the student would have chipped in for the present
regardless of the loan, and it would be permitted. It is probable that it would
not have the issue of being a public favor either, if done among a group of
friends.

When the student is asked to give
an exceedingly large amount of money for the present, or if they usually do not
chip in for such presents, it would be prohibited.     

It is important to note that the
above discussion applies only to favors; however, common courtesies, such as
holding a door open for someone, are permitted, regardless of their level of
friendship. Treating a lender with disrespect is a lack of hakaras
hatov.