Sabba – This article is interesting as it shows those liberal, cool, tolerant, open-minded, non-zionist, non-practicing, ‘normal’ jews come to the rescue of one of judaism’s most evil practices: eating pounds of flesh of their gentile victims.
Their twisting of words and apparent attention to detail is so grotesque that it should not fool anyone. Especially that part where we, the gentiles, are explained the difference between ‘usury’ and ‘interest’.
THE FORWARD
As selection season heats up, candidates tend to turn to God, and specifically his favorite book, The Bible. Bernie Sanders put it this way Tuesday on the campaign trail: “In my view, it is unacceptable that Americans are paying a $4 or $5 fee each time they go to the ATM. It is unacceptable that millions of Americans are paying credit card interest rates of 20 to 30 percent. The Bible has a term for this practice. It’s called usury.”
It does? Many Bible readers may not encounter “usury.” The word “usury” appears nowhere in the New International Version, often the Bible of choice among evangelical Christians, who represent roughly a quarter of American voters. Sanders did not name the translation, but alert Bible readers know that the word “usury” is the translation choice of The King James Bible, which uses the word 17 times, of which only two mentions are in the New Testament. Any voters out there still paging through the Latin Vulgate will encounter the word usura, which was Jerome’s translation choice.
Other popular Bibles fall somewhere in the middle of these two poles: The New American Standard Bible has four mentions of the word “usury” — three in Nehemiah and one in Proverbs. (For those who want to play “find the Bible word” at home, BibleGateway.com is invaluable, though it tends to skimp on Jewish translations.)
Hebrew readers may be even more surprised by the word “usury.” The Hebrew word, neshech, shares the same three-letter root with the verb linshoch, or to bite. Certainly high interest rates do take a bite out of a budget, not to mention one’s sanity. The Talmud, in Baba Metziah 5a, spells out the connection: “neshech … mipnei sh’hu noshech.” Literally: neshech…because it bites.
Jewish translations, like the widely used Jewish Publication Society, translate neshech as “interest.” Unpleasant, perhaps, but not usury. And sadly, the word “interest” doesn’t have the bite of Biblical Hebrew’s magnificent word play of neshech (interest) and neshichah (bite).
In the Bible, the word neshech often appears with another term, marbit. That term, which comes from the root reish,vet,hey, which indicates increase, is used not only for money but also for other types of loans, like food. (Vayikrah/ Leviticus 25:37.) The Jewish Publication Society translates marbit as interest, too. Interestingly enough, the modern Hebrew term for interest is ribit, based on this second and less-biting root for increasing borrowing costs in the Bible. Perhaps ribit reflects a more positive view of commerce, which relies on borrowing.
But let’s get back to English. For centuries, “usury” and “interest” meant the same thing, but in today’s usage, there is a big difference. Today, “usury” means exorbitant borrowing costs. The Bible is against all interest — low and high, which may resonate with Sanders supporters. But quoting the Bible on this issue is a little misleading; Jewish law has elaborate workarounds to make a lending system possible despite this prohibition, but it is probably too much information for primary voters who don’t get high on ancient law. (For those who are fascinated, the sage Hillel’s actions probably laid the foundation for a modern lending system.)
In any case, the King James certainly makes the more dramatic choice, even if it’s less correct than plain old interest. By using the word “usury,” Sanders may have been hoping for the spirit of the Hebrew — going for a word with teeth.
Bernie Sanders is a set up in the Democratic Party to keep ” Progressives/Liberals ” interested in the primary race and inside of the Democrat Party.
That he is a seemingly benign, senior secular Jew makes it all the more ” charming “.
The Democrat Party fears a bolt ,like occurred during the later Clinton years by people rightly fed up by the ” Conservative ” policies of the Clinton’s ,who where set ups of the very Jewish ,DLC ,or Democrat Leadership Council .
That rift led to the Ralph Nader Green Candidacy ,which put Bush 2 in ….not that Gore /LIBERMAN would of been different !
That’s right ,despite the ” Conservative ” Fixation on the Clintons they are pure Wall Street, Neoconservative ,and economic austerity ….NAFTA ,GATT, Banking deregulation , welfare reform came out of them ,and Israel’s Republican Puppet Gingrich helped them all the way.
That’s the Left/Right Matrix ,and ignore it too your peril .
The goal ? Make the Jews richer ,and everyone else poorer …the 1 % .
Sanders is right on ” usury ” ,but its much deeper than his statement implies ,or he can say.
Take note of the ” haggling over scripture “,to quote Christ in this article the Jews did.
They are always so predictable. …the ” people of the book”.
He is a Jew, and all Jews are crazy about money. Usury is their favorite toy from times immemorial. He is a liar at the same time. He makes us believe that he is against what Obama has done and he will fix every thing but he will do the same as Obama, Clinton, the Bushes, just words to be elected but they will work for the Jews.
The only one who is telling the truth and is bringing all the Washington’s dirty laundry to the sun for every one to see, is Donald Trump.