Comments on: Chaverim Launches ‘Gas Gemach’ To Help Community With Growing Gas Crisis

By: brooklynhocker

brooklynhocker — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 15:52:49 +0000

It’s clearly a mashkin as no one would really pay $100 for 5 gallons of gas. The point of the $100 charge is as an incentive to bring the can back. They could take any mashkin – be it your watch or credit card if they so choose. They decided $100 is the easiest way since there is no need to identify or keep records of who paid what-everyone gives a 100.
Now if they gave you 4.99 gallons and you brought back 5 gallons that would be a shayla of ribis- which I hope people are being moichel that mashihu.
What I’m really concerned about is like Duvid22 said- IT’S ILLEGAL to be traveling with so much fuel in a container across bridges and tunnels – who’s going to cover the legal fees if the cops decide to stop one of these Chavarim gas gofers?

By: nitpicker

nitpicker — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 01:04:13 +0000

there was no possibility of ribbis in the case the case of torah tapes. althought people refused to understand, they tried to make it clear that they were not lending the tapes with a deposit but selling it outright for one dollar. if you returned it, they would at times be willing to repuchase it for the same or sometimes a reduced price, but they were under no obligation to do so.
there was no loan and hence no ribbis.

By: 2qwerty

2qwerty — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 00:53:46 +0000

It’s not ribis because you are buying gas for 100 and then selling it back for 100. There is no loan involved.

By: duvid22

duvid22 — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 00:53:01 +0000

DO they realize it is illegal to bring Gas back and forth through NJ or CT? Besides the fact that if they have an suv or van the smell and fumes from the gas can be really bad for you. You need to drive with open windows.

By: notwhouthinkiam

notwhouthinkiam — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 00:07:59 +0000

Your basically paying for five gallons and then returning it I don’t c what’s wrong

By: ayiddesheyid

ayiddesheyid — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 00:02:28 +0000

First of all good point straightshooter. It’s not ribbis for that reason.
But more then that, it has no shaichos to the torah tapes, because there they are letting you use something and returning the same thing so that be usage might be ribbis, but here besides for the so called halva’a of the deposit they are lending you gas and you are returning it, so even though that is sa’a besa’a, it would be mutar based on yatza hasha’ar.
The only shayloh would be, is it mutar to lend someone something so that they lend you something else, like here, that you are lending them the money so that they lend you gas. now that is a shayloh

By: zvido

zvido — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 00:00:01 +0000

I am not a LOR but is sounds more like a mashkon (collateral) than anything else. Don’t see why it is a ribbis issue. But, then again, what do I know?

By: straightshooter

straightshooter — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 20:13:38 +0000

Good point. However it is not ribbis because they cant use the deposit. See shulchan aruch siman

By: Joe Yeshivish

Joe Yeshivish — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 19:43:13 +0000

To apushatayid:

How can I contact you? I would gladly give you my van for you to fill.

By: Here We Go Again

Here We Go Again — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 18:39:21 +0000

This is a serious problem of ribbis.
You are, in essence, lending chaverim $100, and in return they will let you use their gas can free of charge. That is ribbis, because in addition to repaying your money, they are giving you free usage of their gas can.
Torah tapes used to have the same problem, and that’s why they started charging 25 cents to borrow a tape. Because otherwise getting back your dollar and receiving free usage of their tape is ribbis.

I would advise all those using this wonderful service to contact their LOR first, or avoid the problem by only being repaid $99.