EXOD793 (Continued from [[GEN501]] Genesis 4:9 keeper SINAI1 xxi) If our primary purpose through life's journey is moral, to ever develop and grow in moral character, mussar is vitally necessary--to learn it and teach it--that we and our fellow Jews may improve in spiritual health. It is our obligation to show a neighbor the error of his ways and help him avoid sin with its tragic consequences. In Scripture we read, "If you meet your enemy's ox or donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him" [this verse]. Who is the owner of this animal that you are required to rescue? Even if he is not a friend but your enemy, hashev t'shivenu lo, says the Torah, doubling the verb: literally, "return shall you return it to him." And to the Sages of Talmud and Midrash this means that even if you keep taking the animal back and it keeps running away, though this happens four or five times, you must continue to bring it to the owner, knowing that he bears you enmity (T.B. Baba Metzi'a 30b; Midrash haGadol on Exodus 23:4). Now, suppose it were not an enemy's animal, but the valued property of a friend. We should surely go out of our way to rescue it. Then what if instead of the animal, the friend himself goes astray in the pathways of life? How much stronger should be our heartfelt concern, our deep obligation to return him to the proper path.

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EXOD795 See [[GEN501]] Genesis 4:9 keeper SINAI1 (continued at [[DEUT1082]] Deuteronomy 22:1 bring SINAI1 xxii

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EXOD797 Personal dislikes and animosities do not affect one's social obligations to his fellow man. This rule is expressed forcefully in the Book of Proverbs: "If thy enemy is hungry give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty give him water to drink" (Proverbs 25:21). All biblical social commands are applicable to friend and foe alike [this and following verses]. The temptation to disregard an enemy in need is very intense. Indeed it requires much character training to ignore one's normal inclination to look the other way. To emphasize the urgency of such character training, the rabbis promulgated an amendment to an established law: "If a friend requires unloading [of an animal which has fallen because the burden was too heavy for it--normally such an obligation has priority], and an enemy requires loading, one's [prior] obligation is toward his enemy, in order to subdue his evil inclination" [to offer no help to an enemy] (Baba Metzia 32b).

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EXOD796 (Continued from [[LEV564]] Leviticus 19:17 hate COHON 213). Nowhere does the Torah teach hatred of the enemy. Instead, it commands that one must lend a helping hand to the enemy when he is in need [this and next verses] and that hatred must not be harbored even in one's heart [Lev. 19:17].

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EXOD798 See [[EXOD669]] Exodus 22:21 ill-treat COHON 206

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EXOD799 See [[EXOD765]] Exodus 23:1 rumors LEHRMAN 39

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EXOD802 It also seems that the needs of an animal, even a stranger's animal, come before a person's own feelings. The Torah commandment is to help an animal that has a burden, whether by helping to load the animal or to unload the animal. Since an animal already carrying a burden is in more pain, the mitzvah to help unload an animal takes precedence over helping to load an animal. Normally, one would help unload the animal of a friend before helping to unload the burden of an animal of an enemy. However, what if the friend's animal is loading and the enemy's animal is unloading? Do the needs of the animal take precedence, that is, unloading over loading, or do your personal feelings take precedence, that is, helping a friend over an enemy? Maimonides Hilchot Rotze'ach 13:13 based on the Talmud Bava Metzia 32b tells us that the needs of the animal take precedence over your own feelings and you must first unload your enemy's animal.

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EXOD804 The first Jewish Diaspora and slavery, according to the Talmud Megillah 16a came about only because of hatred. The hatred of Joseph's brothers caused them to sell him and eventually bring the Jews down to Egypt. The definition of a Jewish hero is not measured in terms of physical prowess. According to the Avot DeRabbi Natan 23 the ultimate Jewish hero is he who can turn one's enemy into a friend. Maimonides Hilchot Rotze'ach 13:13 informs us that the Torah attempted to eradicate feelings of hatred by commanding the Jew to help unload the animal of his enemy.

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EXOD800 Biblical consideration for animals was the basis for the following laws: … A passer-by who comes across a fallen beast of burden, which is unable to rise due to its heavy load, must stop to help unload the burden [this verse]. The Talmud bases this injunction on the broad principle of prevention of pain to animals (tzaar baalei chaim; Baba Metzia 32b). Medical research on animals was exempted by the medieval rabbis from the restrictions of this principle (Rema, Even HoEzer 5:14). Hunting as a sport, not for the purpose of procurement of food, is considered cruel and sinful (Avodah Zarah 18b).

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EXOD801 Help your fellow Jew to unload his burden. If you see that the animal of a fellow Jew is struggling under its burden, remove the burden from the beast. Even if you hate the animal’s owner because you know that he has wantonly sinned, you must nevertheless relieve his animal’s suffering. Key concept: To teach us the admirable trait of compassion. Obviously, if a person is suffering physically, we must show compassion on him, but our compassion is required even if we see that someone is about to suffer monetary loss. We must act to prevent that loss. If someone ignores this mitzvah, he demonstrates the ugly trait of cruelty. Having failed to show mercy on another person, he will not receive Heaven’s mercy, for he does not deserve it.

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