Helping One Another (Temple Beth Or)

There is little doubt that we, as members of our national community, are living through a period of great strife. Without even straying into the enormous social, economic, or security-based issues with which we now struggle, I feel it is safe to note that we must confront the reality that many in our society are too ready to assume the worst of those with whom they disagree politically.

In the wake of our November election and recent inauguration, there are members of our community from all sides who are left facing a variety of seemingly (and, in some cases, genuinely) existential crises. A casualty in this rancor has been our ability—specifically, as Jews—to focus on something that is one of our core values: Our obligation to empathize with the other and to worry not just about ourselves, but about our neighbors and fellows.

A place in the Bible from which I think we can take much instruction on this issue comes from an unlikely place. Deuteronomy 22:1-4, which talks about our obligation to lost livestock to our brethren, is rather striking in a certain detail it includes: 

1 “You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. 2 And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. 3 And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother's, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. 4 You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.

 1לֹא-תִרְאֶה אֶת-שׁוֹר אָחִיךָ אוֹ אֶת-שֵׂיוֹ, נִדָּחִים, וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ, מֵהֶם:  הָשֵׁב תְּשִׁיבֵם, לְאָחִיךָ2 . וְאִם-לֹא קָרוֹב אָחִיךָ אֵלֶיךָ, וְלֹא יְדַעְתּוֹ--וַאֲסַפְתּוֹ, אֶל-תּוֹךְ בֵּיתֶךָ, וְהָיָה עִמְּךָ עַד דְּרֹשׁ אָחִיךָ אֹתוֹ, וַהֲשֵׁבֹתוֹ לוֹ3 . וְכֵן תַּעֲשֶׂה לַחֲמֹרוֹ, וְכֵן תַּעֲשֶׂה לְשִׂמְלָתוֹ, וְכֵן תַּעֲשֶׂה לְכָל-אֲבֵדַת אָחִיךָ אֲשֶׁר-תֹּאבַד מִמֶּנּוּ, וּמְצָאתָהּ:  לֹא תוּכַל, לְהִתְעַלֵּם.4  לֹא-תִרְאֶה  אֶת-חֲמוֹר אָחִיךָ אוֹ שׁוֹרוֹ, נֹפְלִים בַּדֶּרֶךְ, וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ, מֵהֶם:  הָקֵם תָּקִים, עִמּוֹ.

These verses are neither meant to be understood literally nor in a restrictive fashion. Instead, they constitute a strong metaphor for how one ought to interact with his or her fellow person. (And, interestingly enough, these verses are used for other humanitarian reasons: They are the locus classicus for a Jewish commandment to practice medicine.) It is worth drawing our attention to a significant detail in verse two from above: If one is not near his brother and/or does not know him, he still is obligated to help his brother.