By Rabbi Elimelech Biderman
One of the mitzvos of this week’s parashah is (22:10), “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.”
Rashi writes that this prohibition applies to all species. Two species may not be bound together while working.
The Daas Zekeinim m’Baalei HaTosfos and the Baal HaTurim explain that when the ox chews its cud, the donkey will think it is eating. The donkey will be distressed that the ox is eating while it can’t. The Ibn Ezra says that the ox and donkey have different strengths, making it painful for them to plow together.
The Chinuch (550) has another explanation for the prohibition. He writes, “It is known that animals are greatly distressed when they are among other species. For example, birds of the same species flock together. [Why don’t they mix with other birds? It is because they enjoy being with their own species and don’t want to be with other birds.] It is worse when it comes to working. Animals don’t like to work together with animals of another species.”
This is the nature Hashem created in the world; therefore, the Torah forbids us to plow with an ox and donkey (or any other two species) together. We shouldn’t cause animals distress and pain.
The Chinuch concludes, “The wise should learn from this a lesson in mussar, and shouldn’t appoint two people of totally different natures, to work together. Such as a rasha and a tzaddik or to employ someone respectable with someone of a lower class. If the Torah prohibits working with animals of different species, it is certainly much harder for people with intelligence to work with people who are different from them.”
We return to the Daas Zekeinim m’Baalei HaTosfos explanation. “An ox chews its cud, and the donkey will feel bad that the ox is eating while it can’t.”
What mussar can we learn from this? Perhaps if you have something others don’t, don’t flaunt it before them, as this will cause them distress.
Rebbe Aharon of Belz zt’l advised, “If you have good children, don’t speak about that before others because they might not have such good children, and this will cause them distress.” The similarity between the Chinuch’s explanation and the Daas Zekanim’s explanation is that they both explain the prohibition of “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together “ to teach us to have sensitivity to the feelings of others.
Several other mitzvos in this week’s parashah teach us to have sensitivity to the needs of others.
One example is (23:4-5), “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not marry into Hashem’s nation. Even the tenth generation shall never marry into the community of Hashem. This is because they did not greet you with bread and water on the way when you left Mitzrayim.”
The Sefer HaChinuch (561) explains, “The Torah instructs us to hate Amon and Moav in our hearts because they are corrupt and cruel nations. They didn’t offer bread and water to a large nation, weary from their travels, when they passed near their borders. Amon and Moav acted inhumanely and weren’t concerned that other nations would discover their true bad nature. It is impossible for them to repent since their evil ways are ingrained in their essence. Such people aren’t fitting to join the holy Jewish nation.” Some explain that the problem wasn’t that they didn’t provide bread and water because the Jewish nation didn’t lack these staples, as they had mann and water from Miriam’s well. The problem was that they didn’t greet you with encouraging words. From this we see how important it is always to offer a good word to your fellow man. It doesn’t cost anything and goes a very long way.