שבת Date: 13 Iyar, 5775 (5/2/15) – Kesuvos#89 {Eliezer}

STEP SKIPPERS

[89a top] Rashi: Purpose of Pruzbul: Hillel saw that people were not willing lend money out anymore (because they feared once the 7th year of Shemittah hit, they would never get repaid), so he enacted ways to get around the ‘nullification of all loans’ issue.
R’ Rosner quoting R’ Rosensweig: Pruzbul is not just about a Halachik loophole, the reality is that the Torah demands a very high level of Chessed at Shemittah (when one must forgo his loan payments owed). But if people become unwilling to lend because of this worry, they lose out on even the most basic levels of kindness (aside from trying to fulfill the “Super Chessed”).

D-E-ep Thoughts: Many times people get so caught up in their “big game” ideas, that they often forget basic requirements [ie: someone who becomes extra strict about not putting cold meat on a dairy counter (not even a custom or straightforward law), might yell at his parents for inadvertently breaking his house rules (flagrantly violating a Biblical commandment to honor and respect one’s parents)]. We should always look to become greater people, but never at the expense of forfeiting fundamental principles.