DEUT633 You possess many different qualities ... two... are mercy and ruthlessness. Mercy should be shown to the needy, the poor, the sick, and to those who [out of piety] withdraw from the world; to one who does not recognize how fortunate he is; to one who does not know how to manage himself; to one held prisoner by his enemy; to one who lost a great fortune; to one who has remorse for his transgressions; and to one who weeps over past sins, out of fear of Divine punishment. Ruthlessness is in place when getting even with the wicked and avenging the corrupters in the land, as it says in Scripture: “Do not look with pity upon him, do not have mercy on him, and do not shield him” (Devarim 13:9).