Parashah of the week: Ki Tetzei

him. Not just the donkey - but him. This isn’t about agriculture; it’s about empathy. It’s about the

moral obligation to respond when we see another person struggling under a burden they can no

longer carry alone.

The sages expand this command beyond animals. It includes anyone whose emotional, spiritual, or material burden has brought them low. To walk by – to ignore – is not neutral. It is a failure of

responsibility.

And this is a message we desperately need today.

The Jewish world is under pressure. Antisemitism has re-emerged with force. Many feel isolated,

overwhelmed, disconnected. Some suffer in silence – with mental health challenges, financial

stress, grief or personal crisis. These are our brothers and sisters, fallen by the road.

The Torah says: don’t look away.

What’s striking is the halachic detail that the obligation to help applies even if the person doesn’t

ask for assistance. The moment we see the need, we are commanded to act. Even small gestures – a phone call, a visit, a kind word – have weight. They remind someone that they are seen, valued,

not alone.

Judaism doesn’t teach us to fix every problem. But it does teach us never to walk past someone

else’s pain.

This mitzvah urges us to build a community of moral awareness – a people who are trained to notice and respond. The verse begins with a warning: “Do not ignore.” That’s the foundation of any

compassionate society.

We don’t just carry our own burdens. We help carry each other’s. That is what it means to live in

covenant. That is what it means to be a Jew.

The greatness of a people is not found only in its strength or its scholarship – but in its kindness. In

moments when others fall, we are called to lift. In doing so, we elevate ourselves, and sanctify the

world around us.

Image: A woman from a rural commune in Morroco leads a donkey up a mountain path (photo: Getty Images