Talebearer and the Duty to Save a Neighbor's Life

Midrash Aggadah, Leviticus 19:16

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"You shall not go about as a talebearer (rakhil)." [This means] soft (rakh) to this one and hard (kasheh) to that one. [Another interpretation:] Do not be like this peddler (rokhel) who carries words from this house to that house. "You shall not stand upon the blood of your neighbor." That you should not see your fellow being dragged off by a wild beast, or bandits coming upon him, and leave him be — because you are obligated to save him.

Themes

TribesCommandmentsWarViolenceBible

Biblical References

Continue Reading

Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelThe Terrifying Section of Curses That God Promises Will Fall UponThe Mekhilta, the halakhic midrash on Exodus from the 2nd century CE, examines one of the starkest either-or passages in the Prophets. Isaiah delivers God's ultMekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelVengeance Shall Be Taken Vengeance Connotes Death"Vengeance shall be taken", the Torah declares this regarding a master who kills his bondservant. But what does "vengeance" mean in legal terms? The Mekhilta idTargum JonathanThe Borders of Israel Reached the Great OceanThe Targum's version of (Numbers 34) maps the Promised Land's borders with a level of geographic specificity that goes far beyond the Torah's terse boundary marMidrash AggadahThe Sound of a Driven Leaf Chases the Sages Who Fled"And those of you who remain, I will bring faintness into their hearts" (Leviticus 26:36). What is this faintness? The sages taught: it is terror, and dread, anMekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelYou Shall Touch the Lintel See Above and You ShallThe Torah describes the blood ritual of the first Passover in Egypt: the Israelites were to apply the blood of the Paschal lamb to the lintel and the two doorpoBook of JubileesNoah's Grandsons Inherit Their Portions of EarthIt’s a story of inheritance, of boundaries, and of the ancient world taking shape. The Book of Jubilees, sometimes called Lesser Genesis, isn't afraid to get sp