In Parshas Mishpotim (22:30) we learn:ואנשי קודש תהיון לי ובשר בשדה טריפה לא תאכלו לכלב תשליכון אתו - “People of holiness shall you be unto Me; and flesh in the field that has been torn you shall not eat; you shall throw it to the dog.” The pasuk teaches us, that if an animal is torn by a wild animal in the field, rather than dying through shechitah, we give the animal to the dogs.
The Da’as Zekeinim explains the reason we are advised to give the torn animal to the dogs: The job of the sheep dog is to round up stray sheep and chase away wolves and coyotes. Since the dog risks its life for the welfare of the sheep, the shepherd should not be ungrateful to him, but should reward him with the inedible sheep that became treife.
The question must be asked, however, that obviously the dog did not do his job here. If the dog would have done his job, there would be no torn sheep to throw to him. This is the equivalent of a night watchman in a jewelry store who falls asleep on the job and the store gets robbed. The owner hears the burglar alarm go off. He runs to the store and asks the night watchman “What happened?” The watchman answers, “Sorry. I fell asleep.” Is the owner going to say “You know what? Here is a raise!” This is exactly the same thing — the dog did not do his job and we give him a bonus? We throw him the ripped-up sheep meat? What is the meaning of this?
The sefer Yismach Yehudah cites an explanation from a Rabbi Menachem Rabinovich. This idea teaches us a very important lesson in life. The Da’as Zekeinim is teaching us that we must not only focus on the here and now — what has just happened yesterday or the day before. We need to look at the totality of the picture. When someone works for you or is a neighbor or a good friend and he has provided you with years and years of loyal service and dedicated friendship and then he makes a mistake and does something wrong or says something wrong — we must not forget what came before this mistake.
The Torah is teaching that even though the dog failed us this time and did not do his job, nevertheless, show hakoras hatov [gratitude] for what he has done in the past.
This really becomes halachah l’maaseh (practical) in the relationship between husbands and wives. Husbands and wives who have been together for any amount of time have been good to each other, loyal to each other, and have taken care of each other. However, every so often, as we all know, there are lapses. Our tendencies are to focus right on that particular incident. The Torah says, “No. That is not the way you should look at it.”
The Ba’alei Derush say the following. There appears to be a contradiction between two pasukim. One pasuk states: “One who finds a woman finds good...” (Mishlei 18:22). Another pasuk states “I find more bitter than death a woman...” (Koheles 7:26) The Gemara in Berachos (8a) reconciles the two by pointing out that the pasuk in Koheles uses the verb “find” in the present tense (motzai) and the pasuk in Mishlei uses the verb find in the past tense (matza).
One of the many interpretations given to this Gemara is as follows. If someone looks at his wife, not only in terms of the present, but in terms of the totality of the past (matza), taking into account all the good times that have transpired and not only the here and now that may have featured some lapses, then it will be good (matza tov). This is how a successful marriage works. However, if it is always motzai — always focused on the here and now, then when
