When may a person borrow produce without specifying a fixed return date?
If the market price is established and known to both parties, borrowing produce without a fixed term is permitted. The market price itself serves as the reference for repayment.
Question 2
If a borrower owns only one drop of oil, how much oil may he borrow?
The Rambam rules that even a single drop of the commodity being borrowed is sufficient to permit borrowing any quantity of it — the minimal ownership satisfies the requirement.
Question 3
Which statement about produce loans is FORBIDDEN?
Agreeing to return produce at a specific future time (like harvest) is forbidden because it resembles interest — prices change over time. A vague term like 'until I find my key' is permitted.
Question 4
If a person borrows produce until a fixed date and the produce increases in value, what does he owe?
If a fixed-term produce loan increases in value, the borrower pays only the monetary value at the time the loan was given — he cannot be forced to pay the inflated current price.
Question 5
When may a landowner lend wheat to a sharecropper (in a place where the landowner provides seed)?
Before the sharecropper enters the field, the landowner can still remove him. Therefore the sharecropper enters knowing he must repay the wheat. Once he has entered and cannot be removed, the arrangement is forbidden.