LEV505 One the essential principles of derech eretz is to help those who suffer. Rabbeinu Yonah writes (Shaarei Teshuvah 3:70): "We have been taught to attempt to help our acquaintances, to advise them and to assist them in their time of anguish, as it says, 'You shall not stand aside when mischief befalls your neighbor' [this verse]. If the Torah commands us to care for our neighbor's ox and sheep, then certainly we are obligated to care for him. If you have the ability to help him, either through advice or action, and you act as if you are not able to do so, your strength will be taken away; the punishment is proportional to the sin." Thus, Rabbeinu Yonah continues, it is necessary to appoint volunteers in every city who are willing to extend help to anyone who requires it. In Iggeres HaTeshuvah it is suggested that jovial and personable people should be appointed to make peace between Jews, as the verse says, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger" (Mishlei 15:1). David HaMelech prayed that his son Shlomo should have these qualities: "For he shall deliver the needy when he cries; the poor also, and he who has no helper. He will spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He will redeem their souls from deceit and violence, and precious shall their blood be in his sight (Tehillim [Psalms-AJL] 72:12-14). The Rambam writes that a king of Israel must possess these qualities: "He must be giving and merciful to meek and great people alike. He must pursue their well-being, and he must respect the honor of even the smallest of the small" (Hilchos Melachim 2:6). Rabbeinu Yonah writes in Shaarei Teshuvah 3:13: "A man must seek the well-being of his nation and exert himself for the benefit of his fellow Jew, whether he be poor or wealthy. This is one of the most essential and stringent requirements."