EXOD303 Rather than merely finding fault with what others do, we should offer constructive suggestions. When Yisro saw that his son-in-law Moshe was judging the entire Jewish nation by himself, he told him that this was not good (verse 17). Yisro warned Moshe that he was wearing away both himself and the people who needed judgments (verse 18). Yisro therefore advised Moshe to delegate power to subordinates who would judge the smaller cases, while Moshe would judge the larger ones. ... Some people always find fault with the way others do things. They should learn from Yisro and suggest ways and means of improving the situation, rather than merely complaining and criticizing.

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EXOD343 When someone sends us on a mission, we should report back afterward. Rashi cites the Mechilta: "Why was it necessary for Moshe to report back to God, the omniscient? Because the Torah comes to teach you derech eretz (proper behavior) from Moshe; Moshe did not say: 'Since He who sent me knows anyhow, I do not need to report.'" Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv cited this verse in a letter he wrote to someone who had neglected to respond to a letter that he had previously written him, and added: "We must learn derech eretz from Moshe and remember to report back to someone who sends us on an errand or mission." (Chochmah Umussar, vol. 1, p. 45).

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EXOD436 We are obligated to honor our parents. [Author lists 30 "basic laws pertaining to this commandment" with summary explanations/examples).

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EXOD461 We must give up our lives rather than commit murder. Murder is one of the three cardinal transgressions for which a person must give up his life rather than commit (Yorah Daiah 157:1). … it is permissible to kill someone who is trying to kill you, but you have no right to take the life of an innocent person even if a third party threatens to kill you unless you do so.

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EXOD486 We are forbidden to pressure someone into selling that which he does not want to sell. A person who covets any possession belonging to his friend and pressures him into selling the article violates this prohibition. (In connection with "your fellow man's wife" this would be the case if one persuaded somebody to divorce his wife or otherwise induced him to do so, so that one could marry the wife afterward--Rabbi S. R. Hirsch). It makes no difference whether he applies the pressure himself or asks his friends to do so for him. Moreover, the very desiring of someone else's possession is a violation of a different prohibition: "You shall not desire the house of your fellow man, nor his ox and his donkey, nor anything which belongs to your fellow man" (Dvorim 5:18). (Rambam, Hilchos Gzaila v'avaida 1:9, 10) Desire leads to coveting (that is, pressuring someone to sell) and coveting leads to stealing. For if a person strongly wants someone's possession and is unable to acquire it through payment, he may eventually steal it, and if the owner tries to protect his possession from being stolen, the coveter is apt to kill him, as was the case with Achav and Navos (I Melachim, ch. 21). (Mechilta; Rambam, ibid.). Some people might wonder how a person who desires something belonging to another person can overcome that desire. Ibn Ezra explained that it is all a matter of attaining the proper perspective. If a man sees that another person has a luxurious home, he should realize that it is God's will that this should belong to that person and not to him. His fellowman's possessions should be in his eyes as completely out of reach. A poor peasant will not desire to marry the king's daughter, writes Ibn Ezra, because he knows that she can never become his. This should be our attitude toward the possessions of others. We should be satisfied with what God has given us, and realize that what He has given to someone else is entirely unobtainable for us. Rabainu Yonah writes that if you desire to buy an article belonging to someone who does not want to sell it, but by pleading with him he will be too embarrassed to refuse, you are forbidden to plead with him. Your pleading with him would be tantamount to forcing him to sell the item. Similarly, if a respected person desires something and knows that because people respect him he will not be refused, he may not ask the owner of an article to sell or give it to him unless he knows that the person will do it willingly. (Shaarey Tshuvah 3:43).

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EXOD497 A person who fails to give charity commits a transgression similar to idolatry. The Chofetz Chayim cites the Midrash (Yalkut, R'aih) which states that we must take care not to be remiss in our responsibilities to the poor, for failure to show mercy is equated with idolatry. How is the so? A person who keeps all of his money for himself in contradiction to the Torah's command to give charity shows that his faith rests with his money and not with God. The Chofetz Chayim adds that this concept is hinted at in our verse: "You shall not make for yourselves gods of silver and gods of gold," that is, do not make gold and silver into a god. (Ahavas Chesed, ch. 10)

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EXOD505 We should try to make peace between people who are quarreling. Stones used for the alter in the Bais Hamikdosh (Holy Temple) were ruled unfit for use if they were touched by an iron implement (Rambam, Hilchos Bais Hamikdosh 1:15). Rashi cites the Mechilta which explains that because the altar established peace between Israel and their Father in heaven, it was forbidden to use an instrument of violence in its construction. The Mechilta proceeds with a kal vechomer (an inference from minor to major): "Stones do not see, hear or speak, but because they establish peace, the Torah said that you shall not lift up your sword upon it; therefore someone who makes peace between a man and his wife, between one family and another family, between a man and his fellow man, will surely merit that no harm shall befall him."

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EXOD508 We must treat our fellow man with even more respect than we would treat the altar in the Bais Hamikdosh. The approach to the altar was not to be made of steps; rather it should be a gradual incline. Rashi cites the Mechilta: "If there would have been steps, the priests would have widened their paces; and although it is not an actual uncovering of nakedness, for the priests wore breeches (Shmos 28:42), nevertheless the widening of one's paces in ascending and descending steps is akin to uncovering nakedness and this would be considered acting toward the altar in a disrespectful manner. From here we have a kal vechomer: "The stones of the altar have no understanding or sensitivity to shame, nevertheless the Torah says that since they fulfill a need you must not act toward them in a disrespectful manner. How much more so should you not act disrespectfully towards your fellow man who is an image of your Creator and is sensitive to his shame." This statement speaks volumes on the Torah attitude toward man. We must treat our fellow man with more respect than we would the altar in the Bais Hamikdosh. Anyone visiting the Kosel Hamaravi (Western Wall), which has less sanctity than the altar, will have a glimpse of this level of respect. If someone were to sling mud at the Kosel, everyone present would run to stop him. How much greater is our obligation to prevent someone from slinging verbal mud at another person!

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EXOD517 A teacher must make sure that his students understand what he teaches them. The Mechilta cited by Rashi states that this is what the Almighty told Moshe: "it should not enter into your mind to say, ' I will teach them the laws two or three times until they know them, but I won't try myself to make them understand the reasons for the laws and their explanations.' The Torah therefore states, 'Which you shall set before them,' as a set table which is ready for a person to eat from." Rabbi Yisroel Yaakov Lubchanski said that from here or we learn how we are obligated to teach others. It is not sufficient to merely repeat a lesson two or three times. Rather, a teacher must relate the ideas to the student with their complete explanation. There are several reasons why a teacher might hesitate to delve into the explanations behind the laws. He might lack the patience to explain the matter properly; or he might prefer to spend his time increasing his own knowledge and therefore does not want to spend time explaining everything thoroughly; or perhaps he might be afraid that if he tells the students everything he knows, he will no longer be considered their teacher, since they will be his equals in knowledge. But, said Rav Yisroel Yaakov, we see from God's command to Moshe that: 1) A teacher must acquire the patience necessary to explain matters at length. 2) Although Moshe would have been able to attain greater heights if he would have devoted all his time to his own spiritual elevation, God commanded him to use his precious time to explain the laws to the people. 3) A teacher must have his students' best interest in mind, rather than his own. (Ohr Hamussar, vol. 1, pp. 56-60).

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EXOD615 The owner is responsible to pay for damage caused by his animal. If your animal inflicts damage, you are responsible to pay for the damage. This law applies to all animals. The Torah used an ox as an example since that was the most common case. (Choshen Mishpat 389:1). If you own a pet and it damages someone's property, you are obligated to pay even when the person who suffered the damage is not aware of his loss. Your attitude should not be, "If he makes a claim against me, then I'll pay." You should take the initiative to reimburse him for his loss. (See Imre Binah, Parshas Yisro) the laws of how much a person has to pay for damage caused by his animals are dealt with in Choshen Mishpot 389-408).

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