What does the phrase 'with him' in Exodus 23:5 require that a different reading would not?

'With him' means you work alongside the owner -- you do not take over, dismiss the owner, and solve the problem independently. You help him help his animal. The commandment therefore also contains an implicit requirement of cooperative respect, even toward someone you dislike.

Commandment #167 · Positive · Social & Ethical Laws

If You See the Donkey of One Who Hates You: Helping the Overburdened Animal

Q: Why does Exodus 23:5 specifically require helping the animal of 'one who hates you' rather than merely someone neutral?

Because the commandment's moral weight comes from its difficulty. Helping a friend is instinct; helping a stranger is duty; helping an enemy requires actively overcoming personal feeling. The Torah identifies the hardest case to make the principle unmistakable.

Q: What do the two movements in the verse -- 'refrain from leaving' and 'rescue it with him' -- describe?

'Refrain from leaving' is the internal discipline: suppress the natural impulse to walk past because it is an enemy's problem. 'Rescue it with him' is the external action: physical engagement, alongside the owner, to relieve the animal. Both dimensions are required.

Q: Why does the Talmud give unloading priority over loading when both obligations arise simultaneously?

Bava Metzia 32b rules that an animal lying under its burden is suffering now, while a fallen-but-not-loaded animal is not yet suffering the same acute pain. Immediate animal suffering takes priority. This also reflects the logic that relieving pain (unloading) is more urgent than preventing future burden (loading).

Q: How does Proverbs 12:10's 'a righteous man has regard for the life of his animal' connect to Exodus 23:5?

The proverb establishes animal welfare as a marker of righteousness. Exodus 23:5 operationalizes this: the righteous person's regard extends not only to their own animals but to the overburdened animal of a personal enemy. Compassion for animals overrides personal enmity.

פְּרִיקַת מַשָּׂא

Source: Exodus 23:5 · Maimonides, Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive #202

Exodus 23:5 presents one of the Torah's hardest character tests: the obligation to help is triggered specifically when the animal belongs to 'one who hates you.' Helping a friend's animal would be natural; helping a neutral stranger's is the commandment of Deuteronomy 22:4 (#168). But Exodus 23:5 requires helping someone toward whom you have reason to feel hostility. The two movements of the verse describe the inner and outer dimensions: 'you shall refrain from leaving him with it' (suppress the desire to walk past), and 'you shall rescue it with him' (actively assist, alongside the enemy).

If You See the Donkey of One Who Hates You

כִּי תִרְאֶה חֲמוֹר שֹׂנַאֲךָ

"If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him."

Exodus 23:5 — Open in Torah Reader

Exodus 23:5 is one of the Torah's most striking tests of character: the commandment to help is triggered specifically by seeing the animal of 'one who hates you.' A straying animal of a neutral stranger (Deuteronomy 22:1, Commandment #166) already carries an obligation. But when the animal belongs to an enemy, the emotional resistance is greater — and the law demands that you overcome it and help anyway.

The Hebrew phrase 'you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him' contains a double movement: first, suppress the inclination to walk past ('you shall refrain from leaving'); then, actively assist ('you shall rescue it with him'). The phrase 'with him' is significant: you do not take over and send the enemy away. You work alongside him. The commandment does not remove the personal enmity, but it does not allow that enmity to govern behavior toward a suffering animal or a neighbor in need.

Compassion for Animals and Overcoming Hostility

Proverbs 12:10 (Proverbs 12:10): 'A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.' The Talmud (Bava Metzia 32b) rules that the commandment to unload a collapsing animal takes precedence over the commandment to load an animal (Commandment #168) when both arise simultaneously, because the animal's suffering is immediate. The logic of Exodus 23:5 thus places animal welfare within the framework of ethical urgency: what is suffering now demands response now.

The Deuteronomy companion passage (Deuteronomy 22:4) uses the phrase 'your brother's' donkey (Commandment #168, loading) rather than 'the one who hates you,' showing that the unloading commandment raises the bar — it is harder, because it demands help for an enemy. Jesus's teaching to love enemies (Matthew 5) cites the same logic: the commandment's value lies precisely in its difficulty.

Key Figures

The Enemy and the Donkey

Exodus 23:5 does not define who 'the one who hates you' is, leaving the category broad: a business rival, a neighbor in dispute, a personal enemy. The law's point is that none of these definitions matter when the animal is down and the owner needs help. Character is revealed not when helping a friend, but when helping someone toward whom you have reason to feel hostility.

Balaam's Donkey

Numbers 22:21–33 (Numbers 22) tells of Balaam's donkey refusing to move because she saw the angel blocking the road. Balaam struck her — the opposite of the commandment's requirement. When the donkey finally spoke, she asked: 'Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?' The donkey's question is the inverse of Exodus 23:5: the animal appeals to the relationship to demand better treatment.

Study Questions

For reflection and group study

Why does Exodus 23:5 specifically require helping the animal of 'one who hates you' rather than merely someone neutral?

What do the two movements in the verse — 'refrain from leaving' and 'rescue it with him' — describe about the inner and outer dimensions of the commandment?

Why does the Talmud (Bava Metzia 32b) give unloading priority over loading when both obligations arise simultaneously?

How does Proverbs 12:10's statement that 'a righteous man has regard for the life of his animal' connect to the ethical logic of Exodus 23:5?

How does the phrase 'with him' in Exodus 23:5 shape the nature of the required help — what does it prevent, and what does it require?

Read the full passage in the Torah reader.

Open Exodus 23 in the Bible Reader

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