Borrower’s and Lender’s Rights

 Question

1. Yankel borrowed an electric drill from Berel "I just
   need to put up a few shelves," he said. Berel readily
   agreed. A few days passed – a week – two weeks… three
   weeks! "How long can it take Yankel to put up a few
   shelves?" Berel wants to know if he can go to Yankel’s
   house and retrieve his drill?
2. Yissochor borrowed a sefer from Zevulun.
   Levi came to visit Yissochor and noticed the borrowed sefer.
   "I’ve been looking for this sefer for ages!" Many I
   borrow it?" said Levi. Zevulun is out of the country for the
   next two weeks. Could Yissochor lend it to Levi without asking the
   owner’s permission? It is, after all, for the mitzvah of
   studying Torah.

Answer

1. According to the Shulchan Oruch (Choshen
   Mishpot 341, Par. 1 and 5) the terms of the original loan
   determine the parties’ rights.

1. If neither the purpose of the loan nor its duration were
   mentioned at the time of borrowing, the lender has the right
   to demand return of his property at any time. When
   money is lent without stipulating the loan period, the lender
   has no right to demand repayment until thirty days have
   elapsed. Why is lending items different? The Sema
   explains that money is meant to be spent and therefore item
   must be allowed to get hold of new money for repayment
   of the loan. However, a loaned item of property must be
   returned in its original state and is therefore always
   available for return.)
2. If a loan period was mentioned, the lender is not entitled
   to demand return of the item until this time has elapsed. Rabbi
   Akiva Eiger adds that the borrower may return the
   borrowed item within the loan period. Once it is back in the
   possession of the lender, he is free of any further
   responsibility.
3. If he borrowed the item for a particular purpose, which he
   mentioned to the lender, then the lender has no right to
   demand its return until the particular job has been completed.
   This applies even if it takes a long time to complete the job.
   However, if the borrower waits a long time before
   starting the job or takes an unusually long break in the
   middle of the job, then the lender has the right to demand
   immediate return of the item (see Sema No. 14)

THEREFORE, in our case, where Yankel borrowed Berel’s
drill to put up a few shelves, he would be entitled to keep the
drill until the job was completed. However, three weeks to put up a
few shelves is an _______ long time. Berel may therefore go to
Yankel’s house to retrieve his drill.

2. In Choshen Mishpot (Chapter 342), the Shulchan Oruch
   tells us that a borrower may not lend the borrowed article to a
   third party. This law applies even if the borrowed article is a
   mitzah item, such as a Sefer Torah. The Sema (No. 1)
   explains that even though we have a rule that a person wishes to
   have a mitzvah performed, using his property, on this occasion
   the lender may not wish to have his borrowed article lent to a
   third party for fear that he may attempts to conceal it.
   The Maharik (Shoresh 6) adds that this rule applies even
   if the second borrower is a much more respected person than the
   first, since we have no source for making such a distinction.

However there are exceptions to the rule

1. The Schach (No.1) states that if borrower No. 1 knows
   that the lender is accustomed to lend such items to borrower
   No. 2, he may also do so without asking the lender’s
   permission.
2. The Nesivos (Chapter 72, No. 17) states that it is
   permissible for the second borrower to use the article within
   the first borrower’s domain, In such a case, there is no
   cause for concern that the second borrower will conceal it.

THEREFORE, Yissochor may allow Levi to use the sefer as
long as he does not take it out of Yissochor’s house. If
Yissochor knows that Zevulun has lent seforim to Levi in the past,
he may also do so, without asking permission.