Interest through the Fulfillment of a Commandment
Question
If a person lends money to another on the condition that he allow him to use his etrog (a citrus fruit used in the Jewish festival of Sukkot) during the intermediate days of the festival, is there an issue of usury here, or do we say that commandments were not given for personal benefit?
Answer
Shalom!
It is forbidden to use a commandment as interest. Since it is apparent that the borrower is doing what he is doing because he received a loan. The prohibition of usury applies to everything, even something that does not have monetary value.
Source
Maimonides, Laws of Lending and Borrowing, Chapter 5, Law 12, forbade teaching the borrower Torah. And in the commentary “Mishneh LeMelech” there, he explained that the prohibition applies even though commandments were not given for personal benefit, since it is in exchange for the