Keep No Vicious Dog or Broken Ladder in Your Home

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 340:3

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

Rabbi Elazar says: it has no proper guarding except the knife. As it was taught, Rabbi Natan says: from where do we learn that a person should not raise a vicious dog inside his house, nor set up a shaky ladder inside his house? As it is said, "You shall not bring bloodguilt upon your house" (Deuteronomy 22:8). "And its owner did not guard it" this comes to include an unpaid bailee. "And its owner did not guard it" as is fitting for it. From here they said: if he guarded it as is fitting he is exempt; if not as is fitting he is liable. "And it killed a man or a woman" Scripture equated a woman to a man.

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