King Shlomo writes in Mishlei (25:21-22), “If your enemy is hungry, feed him bread; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink–for you will be ‘choteh’ coals on his head, and Hashem will reward you.”
R’ Yehoshua ibn Shuiv z”l (Spain; 14th century) initially rejects the popular translation of the word, “Choteh,” i.e., “scooping.” He writes: G-d forbid that King Shlomo would suggest that one perform kindness for his enemy for the purpose of taking revenge on him.
Rather, the word means, “removing.” One who performs acts of kindness for his enemy “removes” burning coals–i.e., anger–from the enemy’s heart and promotes peace. Alternatively, if the word does mean, “scooping,” the intention would be that one may perform acts of kindness for his enemy so that his enemy will be ashamed to continue hating him.
We read in our Parashah (22:1), “You shall not see the ox of your brother or his sheep or goat cast off, and hide yourself from them; you shall surely return them to your brother.”
An Act Beyond the Letter of the Law
In Parashat Mishpatim (Shmot 23:4), this same Mitzvah is worded differently: “If you encounter the ox of your enemy or his donkey wandering, you shall return it to him repeatedly.” The commandment in our verse, writes R’ ibn Shuiv, is of general applicability, while the commandment in Mishpatim, i.e., to return the lost animal of one’s enemy, is an act “Lifnim Mishurat Ha’din” / beyond the letter of the law, applicable to a person who wants to conquer his Yetzer Ha’ra.
R’ ibn Shuiv adds that the “enemy” spoken of here is a person that a righteous Jew hates because of the other’s sinful deeds. Otherwise, it is forbidden to hate another Jew. Even so, Hashem does not completely despise even a wicked person, and there is therefore a Mitzvah to assist him, for one should not try to be “more religious” than G-d Himself. (Derashot R”Y ibn Shuiv)
Yehoshua ibn Shuaib (Hebrew: שועיב אבן יהושע; ca 1280 - ca 1340) was a rabbi who lived in Spain. He was a pupil of Solomon ben Adret and the teacher of Menahem ibn Zerah and ibn Sahula. He is notable for his book of sermons on the Torah, which he seems to have written for preaching in a synagogue. Each sermon expounds on a weekly Torah portion, derives a moral lesson from it, and teaches some of the laws it contains, or that are relevant to that time of year. Sometimes he creatively links various parts of the portion to a broad ethical or theological theme. His sermons were first published in Constantinople, in 1523. (Wikopedia)
Reprinted from the Parashat Ki Setse 5783 email of R’ Yedidye Hirtenfeld’s whY I Matter, the parsha sheet for the Young Israel of Midwood in Brooklyn.
