The Weekly Aliyot   Holidays   Shabbat   Chabad-houses   Chassidism   Subscribe   Calendar   Links B"H

Rambam - Sefer HaMitzvos
As Divided for The Daily Learning Schedule

Positive Mitzvah 236

  Day 255Day 257  

Positive Mitzvah 236: Personal Injury
Exodus 21:18 "And one man hits another..."

After a very close baseball match, two of Yossi's classmates were heatedly arguing about the last innings that decided the game. Soon, the locker room was filled with shouts and accusations.

As he was changing his shoes, Yossi caught sight of fists lifted to strike. He jumped up and pushed himself between the fighting boys.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" one of the boys shouted.

"Come on!" Yossi pleaded. "Calm down, it's only a game."

Yossi's brave act of Ahavat Yisrael convinced the boys to stop fighting. When they had cooled off, Yossi sat down between them on the locker room bench.

"You know," he said, "in our Chumash class, we were just learning about what might happen if someone injures another person.

Take this case.

Imagine, Shimi, if you would have punched Yankie and broken his glasses. First, it would hurt. Second, they would cost money to get fixed. Third, Yankie would miss school-work because he would not be able to see the board. Fourth, a doctor's bill might be involved.

Besides, it would be embarrassing to have to explain a black eye and broken glasses!"

Well, fortunately for the boys and thanks to Yossi, this didn't happen.

If one person does cause personal injury to another he is liable to pay different kinds of damages. This Positive Mitzvah includes the laws of fines and responsibilities a person must pay if he injures another.


A metaphor of the Talmud: A man works in the field and brings home wheat -- but shall he then eat wheat? Of what use is his toil? His wife grinds the wheat into flour and makes bread. So too, the tasks of life: A man's spiritual accomplishments only become realized in the material world due to his wife.

From: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth by Tzvi Freeman - tzvif@aol.com


  Day 255Day 257  

Current
  • Daily Lessons
  • Weekly Texts & Audio
  • Candle-Lighting times

    613 Commandments
  • 248 Positive
  • 365 Negative

    PDA
  • iPhone
  • Java Phones
  • BlackBerry
  • Moshiach
  • Resurrection
  • For children - part 1
  • For children - part 2

    General
  • Jewish Women
  • Holiday guides
  • About Holidays
  • The Hebrew Alphabet
  • Hebrew/English Calendar
  • Glossary

    Books
  • by SIE
  • About
  • Chabad
  • The Baal Shem Tov
  • The Alter Rebbe
  • The Rebbe Maharash
  • The Previous Rebbe
  • The Rebbe
  • Mitzvah Campaign

    Children's Corner
  • Rabbi Riddle
  • Rebbetzin Riddle
  • Tzivos Hashem

  • © Copyright 1988-2009
    All Rights Reserved
    The Weekly Aliyot