Learning from a donkey
In our hectic lives it’s sometimes difficult to stand back and look afresh at what we are doing. We would do well to ask ourselves if we notice the beauty of Torah in the way we live? Or are we driven by actions that are devoid of inner meaning? Perhaps we are fortunate to live Torah lives that radiate the beauty and splendour of Hashem’s values. Are we perceptive to the ethics that permeate the laws that we follow? After weeks of narrative content, we now begin the legal section of Torah. Laws speak volumes about the nature of a nation. Each time we put the Sefer Torah back in the Oron we describe the Torah as “Her ways are pleasant ways, And all her paths, peaceful.” Is this true of the Torah we live, the Torah we teach our children, the Torah we witness in our communities?
When living according to Torah we must remind ourselves that we are living the most beautiful life, there is nothing more pleasant or peaceful. Let me share an example with you. In this week’s leining, we are given
the mitzva of removing a burden from an animal that belongs to a person’s enemy. The meforshim explain that this animal happens to belong to a person’s Jewish enemy. An emotional response would be to ignore the suffering beast and its’ owner. Acting in this way would not be a fulfilment of “Her ways are pleasant ways.”
Consequently, we are commanded to offer help even if it challenges us emotionally or triggers negative feelings. Doing so, helps us preserve our human dignity by being ready to help those in need. A person who has done wrong doesn’t stop being our fellow, they must still be considered and cared for. Thus we must rush to offer help where we can. This mitzva is not only about animal welfare. It’s about the damage done to the self when we allow our base emotions of cruelty, revenge and hatred to overpower us. We dare not be nasty and betray our inner essence.
According to the count of the Sefer Ha’Chinuch, this is mitzva number eighty. When explaining the psychological rationale for the mitzva the Chinuch writes “It is from the roots of the mitzvah to train our souls in the trait of compassion, which is a praiseworthy trait. And one who transgresses it has violated a positive commandment and shown the trait of cruelty in himself, which is an ugly trait. And anyone who does not have mercy, is not shown mercy from the Heavens, as his body is not fit for mercy.”
There aren’t too many animals roaming our capital cities today or even our leafy suburbs, perhaps a garden fox but no animals that would be used for schlepping our goods. Perhaps this explains the novel approach taken by Chassidus to add a new layer of understanding to the Mitzvah.
The posuk uses a chamor, a donkey as the animal to teach this mitzva. The word chamor is also a reference to chomer physicality. This gives us an additional dimension in the posuk "that a person that busies themselves with the issues and businesses of this world, the physicality, the materialism, behold, the world is like a burden for them, and they crouch under its burden, and the posuk says you must not ignore : this is a warning for the tzadik to daven for that person.” We are all Tzadikim, “V’ameich kulam Tzadikim.” There are many chessed organisations in our beautiful communities. These go beyond removing burdens from those who struggle they often literally save lives. We need to salute and celebrate these organisations much more regularly, whilst normalising the need to get help when life gets tough. We should all make it our responsibility to daven for others all the time; but daven like we mean it, not just read lists of names and words.
Furthermore, the Orchos Tzadikim teaches “And our rabbis said: "The laws against causing pain to living creatures are from the Torah" (Baba Mezi'a 32b). And if you are a person who inspires fear, and the fear of you is upon other human beings so that they are afraid to refuse your requests, be very careful not to overburden them even by asking them to warm a flask of water or sending them on an errand to the market square to buy merely a loaf of bread. And on this subject, it is said in the Torah: "But over your brothers the children of Israel you shall not rule one over another harshly" Unfortunately there are students in all our school systems that live constantly in fear from overbearing teachers, who instil fear and trepidation instead of love and serenity.
Our youth are fragile in ways that the adult world often just cannot accept. Life was different when we grew up. We must respond to our reality today and not pine for what once was. Extending the duty of care from animals to humans demands that our fragile ones know that they have a place in our hearts and institutions. Our schools and shuls must be inviting places where no one feels overwhelmed or burdened. The Chizkuni adds a further perspective “you are warned not to remain inactive when faced with the animal’s distress, even if its owner is your enemy.” Most of us don’t have enemies, but we can still stumble in our duty of care. Our silence towards those who are distressed and overwhelmed can be deafening and certainly adds to their pain. We dare not turn away claiming “am I my brother’s keeper?” We must use our voices to bring about change when we become aware of pain and not chas vesholom brush it under the carpet.
Finally, Rabeinu Bachya teaches us that if the Torah commands us to help someone load his animal, how much more would it be in place for the Torah to command us to help unload an animal which has stumbled because of the heavy weight on its back. The Torah writes both mitzvos in order to teach that there are different considerations in these two situations. Help in unloading must be extended without charge, whereas help in loading may be charged for. We must be careful never to make our chessed transactional or into an opportunity to earn money.
Yididshkeit is beautiful, we have a gift from Hashem to transform the world. As the Novi Yishaya says “ I created you, and appointed you A covenant people a light to the nations rpening eyes deprived of light, rescuing prisoners from confinement, From the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” This Shabbos let’s remind ourselves of Jewish sensitivity to those who are in pain and need help. Let us make sure our institutions are places that reflect this sensitivity. Let us live up to our national mission and call out pain and hatred at the source. All the while waiting for the great and awesome day when there will be no more darkness and pain as we march together to third and final Beis Hamikdosh.
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