Hi,
Aside from the rule that one should not spend more than 1/5 of his assets to fulfill a commandment, one also should not spend "large sums" [הון רב] even where they are less than 1/5, for this will prevent fulfillment of other commandments. This is why many pious Jews, through the ages, did not fulfill the mitzvah of writing a sefer torah.
[Note: This only refers to fulfillment of מצוות עשה, commandments; one must spend far more to avoid violation of a prohibition.]
(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Yoreh Deah 1:163 and Dibrot Moshe Bava Kama (II) 89:21)
Have a great day,
Mordechai
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I hope this doesn't seem like a silly question but how does this work in terms of repaying a loan. If I borrow a million dollars from Reuvain, 30 days later when he comes to collect can I say, "sorry, but the amount you are coming to collect is in excess of 1/5th of my total assets. As such I don't have an obligation to repay the loan [mitzvat asseh]"?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous-
ReplyDeleteNot a silly question, but no - there is a prohibition against failing to re-pay a debt.
is that prohibition [biblicly] time bound? If not I would return to the original question, can the borrower continue to push off payment because it exceeds 1/5th his assets?
ReplyDeleteI believe that the borrower is required to adhere to the timetable set at the time the loan was extended.
ReplyDelete