Lending Money To Non-Jews Who Then Convert To Judaism

0:03Oh, okay, okay. So let's say, for example, you lend money to a goy. You lend money to a goy, and that goy converted to Judaism? That's a very interesting question. I mean, it's a little bit of a problem. It's a little bit of a problem. Now, everything that you've charged that goy while he was a goy is allowed. It's allowed as long as it's ethical, as long as it's within industry norms, it's allowed. Now, these cash advance businesses that we've spoken against and exposed over the last year or so, that's completely forbidden because they pretty much murder people. They charge people 40%, 50%, 500%—crazy, ridiculous numbers. Like one guy thought he was a tzaddik because he was only charging 40%. This is complete highway robbery. This is forbidden completely for goyim or for Jews. But if you're charging industry norms, which is, you know, I don't know, 5%, 10%, even 15%, whatever is allowed legally, you know, for a normal bank to charge, then if you're doing that to a goy, that's allowed. It's not recommended, but it's allowed. And Shlomo HaMelech and David HaMelech write in Tehillim and in Mishlei that a person that's in that business will never see bracha.

1:16Their money will not be blessed. Hashem will eventually take all that money and give it to someone that helps poor people. But anyway, if you did, it's not a sin, but it's not a business that Hashem likes. So now, If a person does this ethically, he lends money. There's a need for that business. People need to borrow money for certain things. And he does it and he's an ethical person. He charges normal rates and so on. And the non-Jew that is borrowing from him converts to Judaism. Everything that he's charged him thus far is allowed. As far as what he charges him moving forward, I mean, if he doesn't know, then he cannot be held accountable for it. If he does know, he has a little bit of an issue, because it's just like you are allowed to charge a Jew that violates Shabbat openly, interest. If a Jew drives on Shabbat,

2:22You are allowed to charge him interest. Why? Because a Jew that drives on Shabbat and desecrates Shabbat on a regular basis, according to halacha, he's considered 100% an idol worshiper. So the halacha says that you are allowed to charge such a person interest. Even Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is on record. There's a video I have, I've sent it to several people. He says a Jew that violates Shabbat, you're allowed to charge him interest. No problem with it, but you shouldn't. Why shouldn't you? Why shouldn't you charge him interest? Because maybe he's going to do teshuva, and if he does, you have a problem. You have a problem, it's not just the problem that you can't charge him interest moving forward. There's a possibility you may have to return the money that you've charged him. Where are you going to get the money from? Let's just stay away from it. Don't charge anybody, don't charge them interest. Don't charge them interest. Why? Because, again, you're putting yourself in a pickle. You're putting yourself in it. So, a Jew that is converted—I don't know the exact details of what would actually have to happen, but I'm sure it's in that line where everything you've charged so far is okay. This is much easier than the situation with a Jew that was just violating Shabbat because you already know he was a Jew from the start.

3:45uh, so everything that you charged them as a goy is allowed. There is no teshuva for the goy or anything, but as far as moving forward as a Jew now that he converted, it could be problematic, it could be problematic, um, but again, it's the responsibility of the convert to tell the person. It's the responsibility of the convert to tell the person that he converted. But it would have to go to a posek to see what could take place, whether they would have to change the terms of the deal or sell the loan. uh to a goy, uh, you know, you'd have to refinance the loan and do something else with it, uh, keeping it with nothing. I don't think it's a good idea. You'd probably have to sell the loan; you'd have to sell the loan to somebody else, uh, just to keep your hands clean, which, again, is one of the reasons why it says you just simply shouldn't be in that business. Shouldn't be that business of lending money to people with interest. It's not, although it seems like this is a very necessary business, the world can go on without it. You know, it doesn't necessarily need to be this way. But, you know, people do it. Next. Baruch atah Hashem, Elokeinu Melech ha'olam, asher kidishanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al sefirat ha'omer.