EXOD396 (Continued from [[1166]] Deuteronomy 22:10 together SACTAB 217). Perhaps the most outstanding example of the Torah’s message of compassion for animals is the recognition of an animal’s need to rest. This command is deemed so crucial that it is included within the Ten Commandments (this verse). At a time when our ancestors’ livelihood depended upon the physical work that their animals performed, this was a powerful statement of concern for their animals’ welfare. The laws within the Torah also go beyond the treatment of one's own animals, to the laws regarding those within the public domain. One example of this is the obligation to help lift the pack animal of one's enemy if it has fallen under a heavy load (Exodus 23:5), guiding people to put the needs of creatures above human emotion. The Torah also states that we must demonstrate care to animals in the wild. As we read, (Deuteronomy 22:6-7). Maimonides explains that these verses remind us that animals feel emotional pain too: “There is no difference between the pain that a human feels and the pain that these animals feel when they see their young taken away or slaughtered. Like humans, they instinctively care for their young.” (Moreih N’vuchim 3:48). Finally, it is important to note that the respect and care that humans are to have for the animal world is modeled by God. As we read, “The Eternal is good to all, and God's compassion is over all God’s creatures” (Ps. 145:9). Just as God is praised as having mercy on all the creatures of the world, so too must humans, created in the divine image, behave in a compassionate manner: “A righteous man knows the needs of his animal, but the compassion of the wicked is cruelty” (Prov. 12:10). (By Rayna Ellen Gevurtz, "Kindness to Animals: Tzaar Baalei Chayim")