Group None

Chapter Eight: ON CRUELTY

Cruelty is the opposite of Mercy as it is written: "They are cruel and have no compassion" (Jer. 50:42). And this trait of cruelty is not found in righteous people but in the souls of the wicked as it is written: "The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel" (Prov. 12:10). This quality is also found in the impudent as it is written: "An impudent nation that shall have no regard for the person of the old and show no mercy to the young" (Deut. 28:50). And you already know the evil of the trait of impudence. Go forth and learn the evil nature and the punishment of cruelty, for in the matter of the reward of a wicked man — rebellious and disobedient — it is said: "A rebellious man seeks only evil, therefore, a cruel messenger shall be sent against him" (Prov. 12:11). Every cruel person has no quality of kindness in his make up, even towards himself, as it is written: "The merciful man does kindness to his own soul, but he that is cruel troubles his own flesh" (Ibid. 11:17).

The cruel person is very far from all good qualities, for he has no pity on the poor, and will not loan to them in the time of their distress and gives them nothing. And it is written: "He that is gracious to the poor lends to the Lord" (Ibid. 19:7). And it is further said: "Well is it with the man that deals graciously and lends, and orders his affairs justly" and it says (Ps. 112:5), "Happy is he that considers the poor. In the day of evil the Lord will deliver him" (Ibid. 41:2). And all these instances are the opposite of cruelty and are not found in the cruel person.

For the cruel person feels no pain at the troubles of his companions, as you see in contrast with David who said: "As for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth, I afflicted my soul with fasting, and as for my prayer for them — may it return to my own bosom" (Ps. 35:13). And in the Book of Job it is written: "If I have not wept for him that was in trouble and if my soul grieved not for the needy" (Job 30:25). And all this is very far from the cruel man. This trait of cruelty is found only in people whose natures are like the nature of lions that prey and violently rend. When the spirit of wrath takes strong hold of a man then the quality of mercy flees, and Cruelty grows powerful to ruin and destroy as it is written: "Wrath is cruel and anger is overwhelming" (Prov. 27:4). There is no wrath like the anger of Cruelty. In the attributes of the Creator, may He be Blessed, you will find : "In wrath remember Compassion" (Hab. 3:2). But this is far from man's ability — to have mercy in the midst of his anger. And there is this aspect of the quality of Cruelty in the soul of man — to avenge himself on his enemies as it is written: "And he will not spare in the day of vengeance" (Prov. 6:14). The meaning of this verse is that where there is the desire for vengeance there is no compassion, only cruelty. And Scripture says: "You shall not avenge nor bear a grudge" (Lev 19:18). We are warned not to bear a grudge even in our heart — all the more so not to do any deed with the hands to hurt a companion. Even when your enemy has fallen through no fault of yours, you must not rejoice as it is written: "Rejoice not when your enemy falls and when he stumbles let not your heart be glad" (Prov. 24:17). The avenger or the grudge-holder never overlooks a grievance and never forgives his companions who have wronged him, and this attitude drags after it quarrels and hatred, and you already know how good and how pleasant is the quality of peace.

And in the general scope of cruelty is included him who robs his companion of anything and therefore caused him pain. And there is a great punishment in store for him who robs the poor — and one who does so is deserving of death as it is written: "Rob not the weak because he is weak" (Ibid. 22:22). And it is written: "For the Lord will plead their cause, and despoil of life those that despoil them" (Ibid. 22:23). And even though there be greater and more severe sins than robbery the punishment for robbing is very grievous, as it is written about the generation of the flood, "The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them" (Gen. 6:13). Our Rabbis said, "If there is a box filled with sins — there is no more severe accuser among them than robbery" (Sanhedrin 108a). And he who causes pain to an orphan or a widow through robbing them or shaming them or any kind of malicious pain is worthy of death through the power of Heaven. This is also true of judges who have the power to save them from the hand of their oppressors and do not fairly judge the case of the orphan or the widow — they are deserving of death as it is written: "You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child" (Exod. 22:21). And it is further written: "If you afflict him in any way, for if he comes unto me I will surely hear his cry" (Ibid. : 22). And it is written : "My wrath shall burn and I will slay you with the sword and your wives will be widows and your children will be orphans" (Ibid.:23). Measure for measure: "Your wives shall be widows" for "afflicting widows" and "your sons shall be orphans" for afflicting orphans."

And anyone who causes pain to a fellow Jew transgresses a prohibitive command, as it is said: "And you shall not wrong one another but you shall fear the Lord" (Lev. 25:17), and this phrase "you shall not wrong" is said concerning wronging by words (Baba Mezi'a 58b). And our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said: "All gates are closed to hearing accusations against the repentant except the gate of wronging a fellow Jew" (Ibid. 59a). Therefore, should one be very careful not to cause pain to his companion in any way — not by deeds and not by words.

He who robs from his companion it is as though he slew him — even if he robs him of a trifle such as only a penny he is deserving of the death penalty. Also this crime belongs under Cruelty — one who spreads slander about his companion and, thus, causes him pain and shame. And he who slanders the morality of a man's family, (such as attacking the legitimacy of his birth) there is no atonement for such a crime to all eternity.

"You shall not deal with him as a creditor does" (Exodus 22:24), means not to cause pain to the borrower. And the lender should even avoid walking by the borrower when he knows that the borrower has no money with which to pay back the loan, (Baba Mezi'a 15) for the lender distresses the borrower with this kind of conduct. And we have been warned to remove from our souls the quality of cruelty, as it is written: "You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child" (Exod. 22:21), and it is written: "And you shall not wrong one another and you shall fear your God" (Lev. 25:17). We are commanded to return to the poor his pledged article as is written: "If you take the garment of the poor in pledge you shall restore it to him before the sun goes down" (Exod. 22:25), as it is said: "And it shall be when he cries unto me that I will hear for I am gracious." And it is said : (Ibid. : 26) "And you shall not wrong nor oppress a stranger."

Even from an animal he must keep cruely far away, as it is written: "A righteous man knows the needs and capacity of his animal" (Prov. 12:10), so as not to burden it too much and not to let it hunger, and so it is written : "When you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under his burden you shall restrain yourself from passing by; you shall surely work with him to release the animal" (Exod. 23:5). And our rabbis said: "The laws against causing pain to living creatures are from the Torah" (Baba Mezi'a 32b). And if you are a man who inspires fear, and the fear of you is upon other human beings so that they are afraid to refuse your requests, be very careful not to overburden them even by asking them to warm a flask of water or sending them on an errand to the market square to buy merely a loaf of bread. And on this subject it is said in the Torah: "But over your brothers the children of Israel you shall not rule one over another harshly" (Lev. 25:46). And as to this precept we have been warned that a man should not cause his companion to work at hard labor and not command him to anything unless he does it willingly and knowingly. A Canaanite slave may be directed to do hard labor, yet even in this latter case the pious way is to be merciful to him and not to make the yoke too heavy and not shame him, not by a blow and not by words, for Scripture has permitted you to receive his labor but not to shame him (Niddah 47a). And the master must speak quietly to his Canaanite slave even though there is a quarrel between them, and he must listen to his slave's complaints, and so did Job say: "If I did despise the cause of my man servant or of my maid servant when they contended with me — What then shall I do when God rises up and when He remembers some wrong He claims I did to a slave, what shall I answer him. Did not he that made me in the womb make him (the Canaanite slave) also? And did not the One fashion us (both) in the womb?" (Job 31:13-15).

Our Sages of the first generations used to give their slaves food of every single dish that was served them (Ketuboth 61a). They would always feed the animals and their slaves before their own meal for lo he says: "Behold, as the eyes of servants unto the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look unto the Lord our God" (Ps. 123:2). And the truly pious, before he himself would eat, would give to his slave from every single dish that was to be served to him — and for the merit of this act Elijah would speak to him sooner. (See Kethuboth 61a).

The Torah says: "And you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18), and one who has within himself the quality of cruelty is very far from this. This cruel person is not liked by his fellow men, and there is no kind regard for him in the eyes of the world.

Even when it becomes necessary to rebuke someone we have been warned not to rebuke with cruelty, as it is written: "You shall surely rebuke your neighbor but not bear sin because of him" (Lev. 19:17), which means "Do not rebuke him strongly and with cruelty to shame him and thus be guilty of sinning against him."

Until now we have told of the evils of cruelty, but there are places where it is necessary to conduct one's self with cruelty against the wicked, as Job said: "And I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the prey out of his teeth" (Job 29:17), and as the Torah itself has commanded us to execute the wicked and to lash them. And thus did our rabbis say: "He who does not want to build a Sukkah, nor make fringes for his tallit… nor fix a Mezuzah on his doorpost deserves to be beaten within an inch of his life" (Ketuboth 86a). And all this requires cruelty of a sort — to pursue the wicked and to press heavily upon them in order to restore them to good conduct.

And it is necessary to be cruel in judgment in order not to favor relatives, friends and the poor, but to decide according to the law. And our Rabbis said further: "In whom do you find the words of the Torah? In him who makes himself as cruel as the raven to his children, as Rabbi Adda bar Matna who was going to the House of Study and his wife said to him, 'What shall I do for your children' (to feed them if you go to study Torah instead of to work)? He responded, 'There are vegetables in the swamp' " (Erubin 22a).

For this is clear, he who has much pity for his children thinks chiefly how to earn money for their needs but does not reflect on how this money will come to him — illegally or legitimately, for the love (he bears his children) blinds him to honest appraisal ("spoils the straight line"). Then too because of absorption, in that he is busy day and night to secure, in large quantity, their foods and their other needs, he has no time for the words of the Torah, for he makes his business the important thing, and from this wrong emphasis all his deeds are confused.

And a man should be cruel in his battle against the wicked and not have mercy upon them. And our Rabbis said: "Everyone who becomes merciful when cruelty is needed will in the end become cruel when mercy is required" (Koheleth Rabbah 7). And so you find in the case of King Saul. Because he had mercy on Agag there came forth from Agag, Haman, who became an oppressor of Israel. A person should also be cruel to his body to trouble it always to do the will of the Creator, may He be Blessed, and not to have mercy on his body by pampering it and pursuing these vain things with obduracy, but he should make himself cruel over himself to bend his evil desire to live a life of pain and to occupy one's self with Torah and to fulfil the commandments even if it is very difficult for him to do so. But he should not be so cruel to himself as to harm his body, but let him adopt the middle road.

And you, son of man, examine yourself and be far from cruelty and have mercy upon the poor and the needy and let the poor be as the members of your family. "Then the Lord … will show you mercy and have compassion upon you and multiply you" (Deut. 13:18). Everyone who has mercy on his fellow creatures will have mercy shown him from heaven (Shabbath 151b). Therefore, do not remove mercy from you but guard yourself against the quality of cruelty. And Solomon said: "Lest you give to others your vigour and your years unto the cruel (to being cruel)" (Prov. 5:9). And guard yourself against the desire for vengeance which itself stems from cruelty. If you wish to truly avenge yourself on your enemy then add to your good qualities and walk in the path of the upright, and in this way you will be avenged on him who hates you, for he will writhe in pain because of your good qualities and good repute and mourn when he hears good of you. But if you do ugly deeds then your enemy will rejoice over your shame and disgrace and thus avenge himself against you.

And if you wish to have mercy on your children and kin and to honor them with a great honor, then you must occupy yourself with Torah and good deeds and kindly acts of charity and this will be the best for them — that they should be honored through you and not bear reproach because of you. For there is no greater shame than that one should have parents and relatives who are wicked people. And he whose father is a thief or robber or had done other notorious deeds that are ugly in the eyes of the world, all his descendants are made ugly after him for many generations, for people say of them, "These are the descendants of that wicked one." And for the sins of parents children die, as it is written: "Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me" (Exod. 20:5). See and understand this — is there a more cruel man than one whose children die because of his sin? And there is none who shows greater mercy to his children than the righteous man, for his merit continues for a thousand generations (and his descendants are blessed and honored because of him.)

Abraham bound his son, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, swore to remember this merit to the credit of his children for generations and generations. When Israel sinned with the golden calf, Moses, upon him is peace, stood in prayer and said: "Remember the deeds of Abraham, Isaac and Israel thy servants" (Exod. 32:31), and so Solomon prayed : "Remember the good deeds of David Thy Servant" (II Chron. 6:42), and their prayers were answered. And thus we mention every day the merits of the fathers (in our daily prayers).

Therefore, you must know that there are none so cruel as those who commit transgressions, for through the sin of hatred for no good reason the Second Temple was destroyed and all manners of troubles come upon the world because of sins, as our Rabbis, upon them is peace, stated: "Because of the sin of failure to give Hallah there is no blessing in the harvest" (Shabbath 32b). And, "Because of the sin of failure to give Terumah and Tithes the Heavens withhold their blessing" (Ibid). And, "For the sin of twisting, falsifying and degrading the law the sword, great plunder, plague and drought come" (Ibid.: 33a), and there are many similar instances. And in truth those who cause these troubles are the really cruel ones against themselves, their children and the people of their generation, as it is said that all the people were sustained through the merit of Hanina ben Dosa (Berakoth 17b).

This is also an answer to the poor who say: "With what can we do good?" We have nothing to give as justice (alms) to the poor." Such statements are nonsense, for the poor man can give the righteousness of his good deeds and of fulfilling the commandments, — his care in giving Service to the Creator, may He be Blessed, with all his ability. It is through the merit of the good and the righteous that the Holy One, Blessed is He, does good to the world and sustains it. Is there a greater justice or alms or charity than this? But even the poor man can give some alms, even though he himself sustains himself through alms he receives, and his reward is doubled and redoubled, for the little he gives is as important as the great contributions of the rich man. And so did our Rabbis say: "Whether one gives much or another gives little — the important thing is that the heart be directed to Heaven" (Berakoth 5b) [Menachoth 110b].