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Ramban on Deuteronomy 15:3/רמב"ן על דברים ט״ו:ג׳

אאֶת הַנָּכְרִי תִּגֹּשׂ, זוֹ מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים ט"ו:ג') מִסִּפְרֵי (ראה קל). וּפֵרוּשׁוֹ מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה בְּאָחִיךָ, הַנָּכְרִי תִּגֹּשׂ וְלֹא אָחִיךָ, וְלָאו שֶׁבָּא מִכְּלַל עֲשֵׂה עֲשֵׂה. וּלְפִי שֶׁשָּׁנִינוּ שָׁם (ספרי קכט) לֹא יִגֹּשׂ, לִתֵּן עָלָיו לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה, חָזְרוּ וְשָׁנוּ אֶת הַנָּכְרִי תִּגֹּשׂ, זוֹ מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה, לוֹמַר שֶׁעוֹבֵר עָלָיו בַּעֲשֵׂה וְלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה. וְכָךְ אָמְרוּ שָׁם (ספרי תצא קכט) לַנָּכְרִי תַשִּׁיךְ (דברים כ"ג:כ"א), מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה. וּלְאָחִיךְ לֹא תַשִּׁיךְ, זוֹ מִצְוַת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה. וְהוּא כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁנוּ, מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה בְּאָחִיךָ. וְכָךְ פֵּרֵשׁ שָׁם רַשִׁ"י, לֹא שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מִצְוָה לְהַלְווֹת לַנָּכְרִי בְּרִבִּית כְּלָל. וְכֵן מוּכָח בַּגְּמָרָא בְּפֶרֶק אֵיזֶהוּ נֶשֶׁךְ (ב"מ ע). וְהָרַב רַבִּי מֹשֶׁה (הל' מלוה ולוה פ"א ה"ב ושם פ"ה ה"א) עֲשָׂאָן שְׁתֵּיהֶן מִצְוֹת מַמָּשׁ, לִנְגֹּשׂ אֶת הַנָּכְרִי וּלְהַלְווֹתוֹ בְּרִבִּית. טָעָה בַּלָּשׁוֹן הַזֶּה הַשָּׁנוּי בְּסִפְרֵי, וְשָׁם הוּא מֻרְגָּל בִּמְקוֹמוֹת רַבִּים, כָּל עוֹף טָהוֹר תֹּאכֵלוּ - מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה, כֹּל שֶׁרֶץ הָעוֹף - מִצְוַת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה. וְכֵן הִזְכִּירוּ בַּסִּפְרָא (שמיני פרשה ג א) וּבַסִּפְרֵי (ראה צו), זֹאת הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר תֹּאכֵלוּ - מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה. וְדָבָר בָּרוּר הוּא:

1OF AN ALIEN ‘TIGOS’ (THOU MAYEST EXACT IT). “This constitutes a positive commandment.” Thus is Rashi’s language quoting the Sifre.²⁸⁷ 113. The meaning thereof is that there is a positive commandment with respect to your brother [that you are not to exact the debt from him after it was cancelled by the Sabbatical year, the reasoning being as follows]: of an ‘alien’ thou mayest exact it, but not from your brother, and a negative commandment derived from a positive commandment carries the force of a positive commandment.²⁸⁸]. Now, by Scripture stating of an alien thou shalt exact it, we infer that one may not exact it from an Israelite, and since a negative commandment that is derived by implication from a positive commandment has the force of the positive injunction from which it is derived — it follows that he, who exacts it from an Israelite, violates both an explicit negative commandment and an implied positive commandment. This is the intent of the Sifre, but not as stated by Rashi that there is a positive commandment to exact it from the heathen. See “The Commandments,” Vol. I, pp. 150-151, where Rashi’s position coincides with that of Rambam, and Ramban differs with him. And because we have been taught there [in the Sifre]: “He shall not exact it [of his neighbor and his brother]²⁸⁹ — it is a negative commandment upon him,” therefore the Rabbis again taught: “Of an alien thou shalt exact it — this is a positive commandment,” [not to exact the debt from a brother] meaning to say that he who exacts the debt from his brother violates both a positive commandment and a negative commandment.In the same way the Rabbis have said there:²⁹⁰ 263. “Unto an alien ‘thashich’ (mayest thou lend upon interest)²⁹¹ — it is a positive commandment. But unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon interest²⁹¹ — this is a negative commandment.” This, too, is as we have explained [that the meaning of the Sifre is] that there is a positive commandment with respect to your brother not to lend him on interest, and so did Rashi explain there,²⁹¹ but not that there is any commandment to lend an alien on interest. It is so indicated from the Gemara of the Chapter “What is usury?”²⁹²Now Harav Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon made both of them actual commandments — to exact debts from an alien²⁹³ and to lend him upon interest.²⁹⁴, Positive Commandment 198. He erred regarding these texts taught in the Sifre. Such expressions are common there [in the Sifre] in many places, as for example;²⁹⁵ 103. “Of all clean fowls ye may eat²⁹⁶ — it is a positive commandment. And all winged swarming things are unclean; they shall not be eaten²⁹⁷, Verse 19. — this is a negative commandment.”²⁹⁸, implies that you may not eat unclean fowl. Similarly the Rabbis mentioned in the Sifra²⁹⁹ 3:2. and in the Sifre:³⁰⁰ 101. “These are the beasts which ye may eat³⁰¹ — it is a positive commandment.” But the matter is clear [as I have explained it].