Chapter 189 : The laws of a unloading and loading

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§1

One who meets ones' friend and his animal is lying (down) under its load whether the load on it was reasonable for it or whether what was on it was too much for it, it is a religious duty for him to help unload (the load) from off it, as it is said: ¹ "You shall surely help him with it" and after unloading one shouldn't leave ones' friend in his distress and leave, rather help him to lift them back again onto it, as it is said: ² "You shall surely lift it back again" If he left his friend and didn't unload or load he cancelled a positive commandment and transgressed a negative commandment as it is said: ³ "You shall not see your brother's ass ..."

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1. Ex. 23:5.
2. Deut. 22:4.
3. ibid.

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§2

One unloaded and loaded back and (the load again) fell one is obliged to unload and load another time, even a hundred times, as it is said: ¹ "You shall surely help him with it" "You shall surely lift it back again" ² therefore one should walk with him a Parsoh ³ in case he needs him, unless the owner of the load says to him "I don't need you."

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1. Ex. 13:5
2. Deut. 12:4
3. About 4 km, or 2.8 miles.

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§3

The religious duty of unloading must be done for free, but loading is not obligatory except for money, and similarly for walking with him he is obliged to pay him.

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§4

Regarding the animal of a gentile, if the gentile has over-loaded his animal, whether the load belongs to a Jew or to a gentile, one is only obliged to unload because of the animal's distress, and one may take money for this. To load one is not obliged at all, except to prevent animosity. If it wasn't a gentile there but a Jew who overloaded his animal, one is also obliged to load because of the Jew's distress. Similarly, with a Jew's animal that (carries) the load of a gentile one is obliged to load and unload because of the distress of the Jew.

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§5

It's written: ¹ "When you see the ass of one who hates you lying under its load ... " It's written that the "one who hates you" is not one from the seven nations ² (because they are not included in the commandment of loading and unloading rather (the animal) because of the animal's distress) but a Jew. How could it be that a Jew hates (another) Jew, when our scripture says: ³ "You shall not hate your brother in your heart"? The sages said, eg., that he alone saw him transgressing and warned him but he didn't repent, then it is his religious duty to hate him until he repents and returns from his evil ways, and even if he has not yet repented, if one finds him in distress over his (animal's) load, it is his religious duty to unload and load with him and not leave him like this, in case he stays to look after his possessions and will come into danger, and the Torah was scrupulous about (protecting) Jewish lives, whether they are wicked or righteous, since they are attendant on the Lord and believe the basic principles of the faith, as it is said:4 "Say to them: 'As I live, says the Lord G-d, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live' ".

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1. Ex. 23:5.
2. The seven nations who were in Israel before the conquest under Joshua. That is the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites.
3. Lev. 19:17. 4) Ezekiel 33:11

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§6

A party (are travelling together) and one of them had his ass break a leg, the members of the party are not allowed to separate their asses from him and leave him alone on the road, but if his ass has fallen and is not able at all to continue, they are permitted to separate from him, and they do not need to delay for his sake too much time. Similarly, if the party are travelling in waggons, and to one of them occurred a breakdown that needs some time to repair, the rest of the party are not allowed to leave him, unless they would have to delay for too much time.