D’var Torah by Rabbi Kasriel Gewirtzman
In this week’s Torah portion, we see a fascinating commandment that
teaches us a powerful lesson in how we need to care about others. The
Torah states in verse 22.10 that one may not plow with an ox and a donkey
together, at the same time. The commentators offer a number of beautiful
explanations of why that is so. The Chizkuni (13th century) explains that
because an ox chews its cud and appears to always be eating, this will make
the donkey jealous and feel bad that the ox is receiving more food than him.
Even though that is just appearances, the Torah says one cannot plow with
them together. Ibn Ezra (12th century) explains, in a similar vein, that
because an ox is so much stronger than a donkey – hence the expression
strong like an ox – it causes the donkey discomfort to be paired with a much
stronger animal. These are reasons given to explain why we are forbidden
to plow with a mixture of animals. You may ask, what does that have to do
with us? There is a powerful lesson to be gained from this verse. Even if our
plowing methods have moved on and we are now on to more sophisticated
arenas, this still teaches us how we can be more sensitive to others! Look at
how careful the Torah commands us to be in order to protect the feelings of
the donkey. How much more so should we be careful with the feelings of a
fellow human being. May this lesson stand us in good stead as we sail
forward to the High Holidays and keep growing and improving to close out
the year.
Shabbat Shalom & Shanah Tovah,
JET Ottawa
