ה.״כי תראה חמור שנאך רבץ תחת משאו וחדלת מעזב לו עזב תעזב עמו״
This Pasuk roughly translates as " when you see the donkey of your enemy lying under its burden you will stop from helping him, you shall surely help along with him"
This Pasuk seems very unclear and contradictory, should you help your enemy's donkey or not?
Rashi tries to clarify and mentions how the word "עזב" does not translate to its usual meaning of abandonment in this Pasuk. Rather in this case "עזב" means providing aid or help. This solves the contradiction of the Pasuk; however we then have the problem of this interpretation not making sense in context. Rashi bring multiple cases where "עזב" translates to aid or help in order to solidify his point.
Are there any other translation of "עזב" that might fit better in the context of the commandment?
The Baal Shem Tov says that the meaning behind this seemingly contradictory statement is simple. At first, one might refrain from helping the donkey because you are enemies with the owner, and that is why the Torah says to specifically help it. Since you might not help it, the Torah tells us what to do, to do the right thing and help it regardless of its owner.
ReplyDeleteTargum Onkelos translates the words to mean something different: " surely you shall abandon what you have in your heart against him and help him unload." The words "azov taazov" can also mean to forsake or abandon, namely the hatred in your heart that you have against your enemy. Targum Onkelos is teaching us a very important and significant lesson concerning what our approach should be towards self improvement. A person must be constantly on the "rise" towards self- improvement.Its not enough that a person helps his enemy with a burden because the Torah commands him to do so, a person must at the same time eradicate the hatred growing within. Its very possible that a person helps his enemy only because the Torah commands him to do so, even though the hatred is still very much alive.
ReplyDeleteThe words could also be translated as a question- "Would you stop from helping him? no, you should surely help him along!"
ReplyDeleteThis teaches us a valuable lesson about the extent of Tzaar BaleI Chayim- why should you let a donkey suffer just because you are in a fight with it's owner?
The Chafetz Chaim says that if we are ordered to help our enemy's donkey who would just be holding the usual donkey load of stones and rocks, how much more so we would jump to help our friend's donkey carrying bread for an entire town? If you replace the donkey with a person and the bread for medicine for a town suffering of disease, and the person carrying it had collapsed, then surely everyone would run to help the collapsed man so he could bring the medicine to the town and save the people. The Chofetz Chaim goes on to say that when we see people involved in Chinuch and Kiruv, which are spiritually life saving things, struggling financially or in any way, we must go out of our way to help them as much as we can.