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As Eleanor Roosevelt wrote, “It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself.”
A unique mitzvah in our Torah portion clearly reflects this value:
לא תראה את חמור אחיך או שורו נפלים בדרך, והתעלמת מהם – הקם תקים עמו
If you see your fellow’s donkey or ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it; you must raise it together. (Devarim 22:4)
This commandment, coupled with a parallel commandment earlier in the Torah to assist a fellow’s animal “lying under its burden” (Exodus 23:5), form the concept of פריקה וטעינה, assisting in loading and unloading a beast of burden.
It is important to note that this commandment is implicitly addressed to two people—the one who observes the fallen animal, and the owner of the animal. As the Mishna (Bava Metziah 32a) notes, the owner of the animal does not have the prerogative to sit out this rescue operation and brazenly assume that the obligation for helping his or her animal rests exclusively on the passerby. Rather, the final word of the verse—“together”—creates an ideal dynamic of uplifting that which has fallen—performed by the one impacted together with outside assistance.
While one opinion in the Talmud asserts that this concept forms the basis of the prohibition against animal cruelty, later commentators extend its implications to other forms of assistance.
Rav Yechiel Michel Epstein, in 19th Century Lithuania, wrote that in societies that move cargo on wagons as opposed to animals’ backs, פריקה וטעינה includes the case where a wagon becomes stuck in mud, loses a wheel, or breaks an axle. Even then, a passerby is obligated to stop and assist:
וכן אם נשבר אופן מהעגלה או היד שהאופן מתגלגל בו, מחויב לסייע ולתקן בכל מה שאפשר, וללוותו מעט, שיראה שהולכת יפה… (ערוך השולחן חו”מ רעב:ח)
…(the passerby) is obligated to assist and repair in whatever way possible, and (after repair) to escort the wagon a bit and ensure that it is moving well…
A further astounding application is presented by Rav Yechezkel MiKuzmir, an early-19th Century student of the Chozeh of Lublin and grandfather of the first Modzhitzer Rebbe. He wrote that the mitzvah of assisting one’s fellow includes in any area in which they need help, including singing(!):
גם כשמנגן אדם צריכים לעזור לו…שבעת שחבירו נחלש וחבירו מסייעו ומנגן מקיים בזה מצות פריקה שפורק מעליו המשא, וגם לפעמים שוכח הניגון וע”י חבירו נזכר מקיים מצוות טעינה דהיינו שנטען מחדש שיהא יכול לנגן אח”ז ולכן כל מי שיודע לנגן צריך ליזהר בזה עכ”ל. (נחמד מזהב פרשת תצא)
…When a person sings, one must help them…both in the case when their voice weakens and a friend joins (the singing) to help…and when one occasionally forgets a tune and their friend remembers it, and therefore all who know how to sing must be conscious of this mitzvah.
We are reminded—rather, commanded—to be aware of where others need our help, and to always consider how to best use our skills and knowledge to assist others. This is the essence of leadership, and requires courage. It is the right thing to do.
On a recent visit to our Montreal Jewish community, the Columbia professor and activist Shai Davidai shared a profound insight on leadership as he addressed a group of federal politicians. He noted the difference between a politician and a leader. “You are a politician,” he said, “when you are running for office. Once you are elected, you are supposed to become a leader.” The crisis, he noted, is that too many remain politicians for their entire careers—constantly campaigning for the next election, constantly acting—or not acting—in order to appease their base. They often become fearful to address the obvious issues of society, to alleviate the burdens of those who need it most, if by doing so they will alienate votes and diminish in popularity.
A leader—and a good citizen—notices when an individual or a community is carrying too heavy of a burden or has fallen and needs help to stand again. It is true that those in need can’t rely exclusively on outside support; neither, however, should they be expected to stand alone.
(Postscript:
Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote is from her “My Life” column of June 15, 1946. Remarkably, the context is that of opening the borders to Jewish refugees:
I see that Mr. LaGuardia is urging us to relax our immigration laws and take in some of the displaced persons from Europe. If Palestine is not going to be opened even to 100,000 Jews, I think we should take the lead in opening our borders to this particular group of persons who have suffered more than any other. There are many more, however, who in spite of all the efforts made to have them return to their own countries of origin, will have to go to other nations. And here again I think we have a duty to lead in taking our share. It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.)
To read this post in Spanish, click here
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