from the heart of jerusalem: rabbi binny freedman

Why we react with compassion to plight of our enemy’s donkey

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Recently, the media reported that two days before his execution, Adolph Eichmann penned a letter to then-President Yitzchak Ben-Zvi begging for clemency. Facing his imminent death by hanging (the only death sentence ever executed in the State of Israel), the once arrogant Eichmann, finally humbled, was begging for his life. His request was denied, and two days later he was hanged, his body cremated, and his ashes spread over the Mediterranean to prevent his tomb from ever becoming a shrine for hatred. 

During his time in prison, he took ill briefly, and, experiencing shortness of breath and fever, was seen by the prison doctor, himself a Holocaust survivor who would later describe the mix of emotions he felt as he attempted to divorce himself from his personal feelings and focus on the task at hand which, in his words, was “to view him as any other patient in need of medical assistance.”

How are we meant to treat our enemies? When Arab terrorists are seriously wounded in the midst of attempting to murder innocent civilians, do we have a responsibility to care for them?

Let’s assume our enemy is someone who hates us and wants to kill and destroy us, often willing to die in order to accomplish this nefarious goal. In the absence of an alternative, Judaism obligates us to fight such an enemy and even kill him before he can kill us. But what about when there is no longer a defensive need to fight, when he or she is captured or incapacitated?

This week’s portion, Mishpatim, contains a fascinating mitzvah: “If you see your enemy’s donkey sagging under its burden, you may not carry on — you must release it [the donkey, from its burden] with him [your enemy].” (Shemot 23:5)

Perhaps this mitzvah is not given to us for the sake of the donkey; rather, our natural inclination when seeing our enemy stuck with his overburdened donkey is to pass by, precisely because we are seeing our enemy and enjoying his suffering. 

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