Ki Tetze

 

If you see your fellow’s ox or sheep gone astray, do not ignore it; you must take it back to your fellow.  If your fellow does not live near you or you do not know who he is,  you shall bring it home and it shall remain with you until your fellow claims it; then you shall give it back to him…you must not remain indifferent.

22:1-3

 

This chapter open with a group of laws which set down basic principles for Israel’s civic and commercial life, which are now about to begin; principles by which alone the nation will be able to fashion its society in character with its calling.  The principles are: the brotherly solidarity of all for the protection of the private property of each individual and the brotherly solidarity of all in supporting the personal endeavors of each individual.

Samson Raphael Hirsch (19th Century)

 

To let you know that there would be a proper restoration, that the beast should not eat in your house the equivalent of its value, and that you would therefore demand it from the owner.

Rashi (12th Century)

 

No other system of law, ancient or modern, has this inescapable obligation regarding responsibility for lost property.  While some legal systems require returning or handing over found property to the authorities, none enjoins the finder from ignoring the lost object in the first place…If, your fellow’s property (that) has gone astray…becomes your responsibility…how much more so, the rabbis in the Midrash emphasize, if you encounter your fellow who has gone astray?

Pinchas Peli (20th Century)

 

Maimonides, based on the Torah’s commandment to return lost articles, argues that a doctor, given the opportunity to restore lost health, must do that, and therefore it is forbidden for him to go on strike.  However…an ordinary worker may strike, leaving in the middle of the day,  no questions asked, and is liable only if he directly causes damages to the boss.  But a doctor is not an ordinary worker; he cannot remove his stethoscope and skip town.  If the Torah commands us to return lost sheep…how much more so are we commanded not to sit idly by while someone is suffering from an illness?

Shlomo Riskin (Contemporary)

 

The Kabbalah presents an interesting further little detail of this legislation.  Supposing a person is faced with the opportunity of either helping a friend unload an animal or assisting an enemy in loading, the latter has to be made his first priority.  This brings home the point that the legislation represents a moral challenge, even more clearly.  It teaches that even when on a physical level the suffering of the friend’s beast that awaits unloading is to be considered, the attempt to win over the enemy by offering him assistance is considered more urgent.   This takes precedence even over what we commonly call “our self respect.”

Yitzchak Arama (15th Century)

 

God wanted to implant in the Jew an altruistic love of his fellow by means of the commandments and to help him overcome his naturally selfish instincts.

Moshe Alshich (13th Century)