Page 327 - Russian History Viewed through Distorted Mirrors, Vol. 1

Nicolai Levashov. Russian History Viewed through Distorted Mirrors. Vol. 1

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This extract clearly shows that the God Jehovah strictly prohibited an Israelite
from making a profit out of another Israelite. An interpreter of Hebrew used the
words “brother” and “neighbour” instead of “Israelite” in order to soften the text a
little, but the essence remains the same. An Israelite’s brother can be only an Israelite,
because according to Judaic law an Israelite may have a brother only from the mater-
nal side. The same can be said of the concept of “neighbour”. Thus, the God Jeho-
vah’s commandments clearly state who can not be cheated and out of whom money
cannot be earned: “…usury of money, usury of victuals and usury of any thing that is
lent upon usury”. In other words, an Israelite has no right to make profit out of an-
other Israelite by any means! If this happens, the God Jehovah will punish this sinner
very cruelly: as He strictly punishes almost any deviation from His commandments,
by death. The following verse indicates who the God Jehovah allows to be robbed by
usurious interest: “Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury” and right after
once again explains (for those unable to grasp it the first time): “...but unto thy broth-
er thou shalt not lend upon usury”.

The word “stranger” is again used in the translation from Hebrew instead of
“goy”. According to the Torah, there are people chosen by God, that is the Israelites,
and all the rest, that is non-Israelites, are the goyim, because this is precisely what
the Israelites call all non-Israelites among themselves! Verses 25 and 26 of the above
chapter talk about it being inadmissible for an Israelite to fleece another Israelite by
any means, not just by usury. However, there is not a word of instruction about the
goyim (non-Israelites) in relation to the same situation; therefore this does not mean
that an Israelite must act in regard to the goyim the same way as to another Israelite (a
brother or a neighbour).

Once and forever, the God Jehovah in the commandments for the Israelites
(verses 20 and 21) determines who can be fleeced and who can not. In Verses 25 and
26 he just specifies some details: how an Israelite should treat the property of another
Israelite. It is expressly determined in these verses that an Israelite can take some-
thing from another Israelite only in the case of necessity to satisfy hunger, not more.
Also, the God Jehovah specifies how an Israelite must behave in those cases when he
helps another Israelite:

……………………………………………………...
10. When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house
to fetch his pledge.
11. Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring
out the pledge abroad unto thee.
12. And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:
13. In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth
down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be
righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God.

178 The Pentateuch and Haphtarahs, The book of Dvarim, Tetse XXIII, 20-26, p. 1241-1243.

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