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Ethics in Everyday Life Situations
Saving a friend - Preventing Damage
Saving a friend
Situation:
I had trouble concentrating in class because of what I saw on my
way to school. People were standing around watching a man beating
up someone else!
"Why doesn't someone do something?" I asked the people there,
increduously.
"Can't you see the attacker is dangerous? I'm not prepared to
endanger myself," answered one of the people there. This answer
did not satisfy me at all.
Is it...
- Obligatory to save someone only when it causes no danger to
yourself?
- Not a personal obligation, but rather the duty of the police
to rescue people?
- Obligatory to save someone in all cases?
Alternative Situation
Preventing Damage
On my way to school, I saw a dog enter a private garden. I was
sure that he would cause damage, but it was late and I was rushing
to school, so I did not chase the dog from the garden. I asked
my teacher if I acted correctly.
Is it...
- My obligation to chase the dog in order to prevent damage
to the garden?
- Not an obligation to prevent damage, but only to return lost
objects?
- Not an obligation to prevent damage if someone is in a rush?
Sources
Popular Halacha -IV, Ch.13, Lovingkindness
- 5. We are obligated to try to save our colleague's
property from destruction. Thus, if a person's house
catches fire or a flood washes away his property, we must
do whatever possible to save his possessions. This includes
notifying the local authorities and anyone else who might
be able to help.
- If necessary, a person must even hire workers to save his
colleague's property. The owner of the damaged property is
obligated to reimburse his benefactor for any funds spent
on his behalf.
- 6. In view of the extreme concern we exhibit over
the property of our neighbor, we are all the more
obligated to aid our brethren when they are bodily ill, and
to do whatever necessary to safeguard their life and health.
Indeed, it is inconceivable that we should be obligated to
save a person's property and yet be allowed to remain indifferent
to his personal fate.
- 7. If a person sees an attacker pursuing a prospective
victim with the intent of murder or rape, he is obligated
to try and protect the victim, as Leviticus 19:16 commands:
"Do not stand over your brother's blood."
- If possible, one should first try to maim the attacker to
keep him from accomplishing his objective. However, should
there be no alternative, he is permitted to kill the assailant
(see Sanhedrin 73a).
It is a pious act to risk personal danger to save the life
of another.
- 8. We may not judge the life of one Jew over that
of another. Thus, if enemy troops besiege a city
and agree to lift the siege on condition that one Jew is delivered
to them to be killed, we may not accept their offer. Though
the entire city may be destroyed as a result, we may not select
any individual Jew over any other.
- This only applies in the event that the gentiles do not name
a particular individual as their intended victim. However,
if they do specify a particular individual, that person may
be handed over to the assailants lest they proceed to decimate
the entire population.
- Nevertheless, it is no Mitzvah to hand over a person to certain
death against his will; rather an effort should be made to
explain to him that his life will be forfeited in any case,
and that by surrendering himself, he will save the lives of
his fellow Jews (see Jerusalem Talmud, Terumot 8:10).
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