One of the mitzvos in this week's parashah is (22:10), יחדו וחמור בשור תחרוש לא, "You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together." Rashi writes that this prohibition applies to all species. Two species may not be bound together while working.
What are some of the reasons for this mitzvah?
Daas Zekeinim m'Baalei HaTosfos and the Baal HaTurim explain that when the ox chews its cud, the donkey will think it is eating. The donkey will be upset that the ox is eating while it can't.
The Ibn Ezra says that the ox and donkey have different strengths, making it painful for them to plow together.
The Chinuch (550) has another explanation for the prohibition. He writes, "It is known that animals are greatly distressed when they are among other species. For example, birds of the same species flock together. [Why don't they mix with other birds? It is because they enjoy being with their own species.] It is worse when it comes to working. Animals don't like to work together with animals of another species."
This is the nature that Hashem put into the world. Therefore, the Torah forbids us to plow with an ox and a donkey (or any other two species) together. We shouldn't cause animals distress and pain.
The Chinuch concludes, "The wise should learn from this a lesson in mussar and shouldn't appoint two people of totally different natures to work together. Such as a rasha and a tzaddik, or to employ someone respectable with someone of a lower class. If the Torah prohibits working with animals of different species, it is certainly much harder for people with intelligence to work with people who are different than them."
There are several other mitzvos in this week's parashah that teach us sensitivity to the needs of others.
Stories of Compassion
The tzaddik from Yerushalayim, Reb Zelig Braverman zt'l, made a kabbalah with his Rebbetzin to bake and distribute challos for free on erev Shabbos to the poor of Yerushalayim. Once, a poor person came to his door late on Friday afternoon and asked for two challos. Reb Zelig replied, "I'm so sorry, but many people came today for challos. Nothing is left."
The man became very upset and smacked Reb Zelig twice across his face. Reb Zelig immediately took the two challos that were on his table for his own Shabbos meal and gave them to the poor man.
When the poor man left the house, the family asked Reb Zelig, "Why did you give away our challos? We need them for the seudah. And does he even deserve to get anything after he slapped you?"
Reb Zelig explained that if this poor man slapped him, he probably needed the challos desperately. Reb Zelig understood that the poor man's wife would be angry if he came home without challos, and there would be a serious shalom bayis problem in their home.
"As for us," Reb Zelig added, "we can manage this week with matzos."
Then, Reb Zelig closed himself in his room, and from outside the door, he was heard saying, "Zelig, why did you need to be slapped twice before you learned that you must give away from your own to others?"
The father of a newborn baby wanted to name his child after his father, but his wife thought that it wasn't a good idea. A child who had the same name was niftar in their building three months earlier. She feared that the name bears a bad omen. The father went to Reb Shlomo Zalman Aurbach zt'l for advice.
Reb Shlomo Zalman sided with the wife, but for a different reason. He said to the father, "I agree with you that the name doesn't bear any evil tidings, but I have another reason you shouldn't use that name. You live in the same building as the family who lost a child with that name. Whenever they hear you calling your son's name, they will remember their child, and this will cause them tremendous distress."
Once, Reb Alter Shmuelewitz zt'l saw a young girl crying on the curb. "What's the matter?" he asked her. "My friend said my dress isn't pretty," she said and pouted. Reb Shmuelewitz replied, "Tell your mother that I said you have a pretty dress." The girl's face brightened, and she ran home to tell her mother.
Reb Shmuelewitz said to the person who was walking with him, "The Midrash says, 'Just as Hashem removes tears from all faces (as it states Yeshayah 25:8, פנים כל מעל דמעה ... 'ה ומחה) similarly, you shall also remove tears from all faces.' I just fulfilled that by removing tears from this young girl's face.”
One week, after immersing in the mikvah on Friday afternoon, Rebbe Aharon of Belz zy'a asked his gabai, Reb Shalom Fogel z'l, to bring him cake and coffee. Reb Shalom Fogel z'l was surprised because the Rebbe never requested this before. He hardly ate at all. Reb Shalom brought coffee and cake, and the Rebbe said, "Give it to So-and-So who is in the beis medresh. When I was in the mikvah, I heard him say, 'After a hot mikvah like this, all that's missing is a cup of hot coffee with a piece of cake,' and I want to fulfill his wishes."
Reb Yaakov of Tolichan z'l composed many nigunim for Stoliner chassidim. Once, Rebbe Asher Stoliner zy'a requested, "Sing me one of your latest compositions." Reb Yaakov sang a song he recently composed, but the Rebbe told him that he had a different song in mind. Reb Yaakov sang another song, but the Rebbe told him that this too wasn't what he had intended. Reb Yaakov said, "Apparently, the Rebbe has a particular song in mind. Please tell me which song, and I will gladly sing it."
The Rebbe replied, "Last night, at 3:00 a.m., you came into the beis medresh and saw that the beis medresh wasn't heated. You had rachmanus on the scholars, so you went outside in the freezing weather and snow and chopped wood for the furnace. As you worked, you sang. That's the song I want to hear." It was a beautiful song because it was composed while he exercised compassion and did chesed for Yidden.
Lessons from the Parashah
One example is (23:4-5), בקהל ומואבי עמוני יבא לא אשר דבר על עולם עד 'ה בקהל להם יבא לא עשירי דור גם 'ה ממצרים בצאתכם בדרך ומים בלחם אתכם קדמו לא, "An Ammonite or Moabite shall not marry into Hashem's nation. Even the tenth generation shall never marry into the community of Hashem. This is because they did not greet you with bread and water on the way when you left Mitzrayim."
The Sefer HaChinuch (561) explains, "The Torah instructs us to hate Amon and Moav in our hearts because they are corrupt and cruel nations. They didn't offer bread and water to a large nation, weary from their travels, when they passed near their borders. Amon and Moav acted in an inhumane manner, and they weren't concerned that other nations would discover their true bad nature. It is impossible for them to repent since their evil ways are ingrained in their essence. Such people aren't fitting to join the holy Jewish nation."
Some explain that the problem wasn't that they didn't provide bread and water because the Jewish nation didn't lack these staples, as they had mann for food, and water from Miriam's well. The problem was דבר על אתכם קדמו לא אשר, that they didn't greet you with דבר, encouraging words.
