A Striking Resemblance

(35) If your kinsman sinks low, and their hand falls to you, hold them in a state of 'resident alien', let them live by your side. (36) Do not exact from them advance or accrued interest; but fear your God; your kinsman will live with you.

(17) The generous person saves their own life; the cruel one troubles their own flesh.

Another way to understand "If your kinsman sinks low"- this is explained by the verse "A person who does good to their own self is pious and merciful (ish chassid)” (Proverbs, 11:17). Such a one was Hillel the Elder. After saying good-bye to his students for the day, he walked with them a little while in the same direction. His disciples asked him, ‘Master, where are you going?’ He answered, ‘To perform a Mitzvah!’ ‘What Mitzvah?’ ‘To bathe in the bathhouse.’ ‘But is this a Mitzvah??’ ‘It is indeed! Kings’ eikonin* are set up in theaters and circuses, and scrubbed and washed down by an official specially appointed to look after them, who even gets paid to wash it! More – this person is considered one of the greatest of the empire. How much more and more for me, who has been created in God’s image and likeness (tzelem u-dmut), as is written, ‘In the image of God (b’tzelem Elohim) God made the human’ (Genesis 9:6).”

How do we instill in the witnesses true awareness of the gravity of a capital case? ....

a) Know that capital cases are not like monetary ones. In monetary cases, [a false witness] can return the money and achieve atonement. But in capital cases, their blood and the blood of all their future offspring will hang upon you until the end of time. For thus we find in regard to Cain, who killed his brother, "Your brother's bloods scream out!" (Genesis 4:10) - the verse does not say 'brother's blood', but "brother's bloods": his blood and also the blood of his future offspring [screaming out]! ...

b) "It was for this reason that Human was first created as one [person], to teach you that anyone who destroys a life is considered by Scripture to have destroyed a full world; and anyone who saves a life is as if they saved a full world.

c1) "And also, for peace among the creations, that no person say to another, 'My father is greater than yours.' c2) And also, so that heretics will not say, 'there are many rulers up in Heaven'.

d) "And also, to express the grandeur of The Holy Blessed One: For a human could strike so many coins from the same die, and all the coins are alike. But the Ruler above all rulers, The Holy Blessed One strikes every person from the die of the First Person, and yet no person is quite like the next. Therefore, every person must say, “For my sake ‎the world was created.”‎

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