EXOD725 (Continued from [[LEV1062]] Leviticus 25:36 interest OXFORD 46). In the Tanakh, loans at interest are viewed as exploitation of the indigent, since commonly the agrarian poor would be the recipients. This situation is obvious in the prohibition of taking a garment or cloak as pledge because "It is his only clothing, the sole covering for his skin" [this verse]. Further, the purpose of generosity to one's fellow Israelites is to maintain social and economic stability and prevent the emergence of an underclass encumbered by debt. The Bible mentions instances when these rules were neglected with unfortunate consequences, such as in Jerusalem during the time of Nehemiah when Judean children were distrained for their parents' debt (Neh 5; see also 2 Kings 4:1). This reason would not apply to loans for the nokhri, or foreigner, who perhaps was visiting the country for purposes of commerce and investment; there is no moral requirement to offer interest-free loans to him for such purposes. (Jeffrey Tigay, The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy, 218 quoting the nineteenth-century Italian commentator Shemuel Dovid Luzzato). (By Elaine Adler Goodfriend, “Ethical Theory and Practice in the Hebrew Bible)