[Avodah] early bird specials and ribbis

[Zev Sero]

David Riceman wrote:
> I wanted to add one more clarification.  RZS speaks about loan or early 
> payment as if they were mutually exclusive options.  The easiest way to 
> understand these halachos is that an early payment is a loan which lasts 
> until payment is due, and that's why giving a discount for an early 
> payment is assur.

Except that that's clearly not true.  Giving a discounted wage advance
to a future employee is only forbidden because it *looks* like a loan,
not because it is one.  Giving such an advance to a current employee
involves exactly the same transaction -- he's not legally entitled to
the money, he hasn't performed the work for which it's paying, and he
isn't legally obligated *ever* to perform that work -- and yet it's
permitted because it doesn't *look* like a loan.

-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas