לֹא־תֵלֵ֤ךְ רָכִיל֙ בְּעַמֶּ֔יךָ לֹ֥א תַעֲמֹ֖ד עַל־דַּ֣ם רֵעֶ֑ךָ אֲנִ֖י יהוה׃
Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people; neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.
לא תעמד על דם רעך. שלא יתחבר עם אנשי דמים וידוע כי כמה נרצחו ונהרגו בעבור המלשינות ודואג האדומי לעד:
Do not stand idle when your fellowman is in danger [literally: Do not stand upon your fellowman’s blood] One must not become involved with men who shed blood. It is well known that many people have been murdered, many people have been killed, because of slander. Doeg the Edomite is a prime example [I Samuel 22:9–19].
לא תעמוד על דם רעך - לא תעמוד מנגד, אלא ניתן להצילו בנפשו של רודף.
לא תעמוד על דם רעך, do not stand by idly but go to his assistance.
(כח) וְכִֽי־יִגַּ֨ח שׁ֥וֹר אֶת־אִ֛ישׁ א֥וֹ אֶת־אִשָּׁ֖ה וָמֵ֑ת סָק֨וֹל יִסָּקֵ֜ל הַשּׁ֗וֹר וְלֹ֤א יֵאָכֵל֙ אֶת־בְּשָׂר֔וֹ וּבַ֥עַל הַשּׁ֖וֹר נָקִֽי׃(כט) וְאִ֡ם שׁוֹר֩ נַגָּ֨ח ה֜וּא מִתְּמֹ֣ל שִׁלְשֹׁ֗ם וְהוּעַ֤ד בִּבְעָלָיו֙ וְלֹ֣א יִשְׁמְרֶ֔נּוּ וְהֵמִ֥ית אִ֖ישׁ א֣וֹ אִשָּׁ֑ה הַשּׁוֹר֙ יִסָּקֵ֔ל וְגַם־בְּעָלָ֖יו יוּמָֽת׃
(28) When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox is not to be punished.(29) If, however, that ox has been in the habit of goring, and its owner, though warned, has failed to guard it, and it kills a man or a woman—the ox shall be stoned and its owner, too, shall be put to death.
כִּ֤י תִבְנֶה֙ בַּ֣יִת חָדָ֔שׁ וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ מַעֲקֶ֖ה לְגַגֶּ֑ךָ וְלֹֽא־תָשִׂ֤ים דָּמִים֙ בְּבֵיתֶ֔ךָ כִּֽי־יִפֹּ֥ל הַנֹּפֵ֖ל מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃ (ס)
When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you do not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone should fall from it.
מעקה. גָּדֵר סָבִיב לַגַּג, וְאֻנְקְלוֹס תִּרְגֵּם "תְּיָקָא", כְּגוֹן תִּיק שֶׁמְּשַׁמֵּר מַה שֶּׁבְּתוֹכוֹ:
מעקה means, a fence around the roof. Onkelos renders it by תיקא; the fencing is like a casing (תיק) which guards things that are within it.
ולא תשים דמים בביתך כי יפול הנופל. כאשר יקרה שיפול איזה נופל משם לא תהיה אתה הגורם באופן שיהיה עונש הדם בביתך:
ולא תשים דמים בביתך כי יפול הנופל, if it were to happen that someone falls off that roof you could not have been the indirect cause, seeing you had put up a protective railing. Had you not done so, your family might bear part of the guilt for such a mishap.
Babylonian Talmud, Nedarim 49b
Rabbi Yehudah used to go into the House of Study carrying a pitcher on his shoulders. He would say, “Great is work, as it gives honor to the worker.” Rabbi Shimon would carry a basket on his shoulders and would say “Great is work as it gives honor to the worker.”
Babylonian Talmud Kiddushin 82b
We are taught on early rabbinic authority: There is no occupation that lacks usefulness. Fortunate is the one whose parents are engaged in worthy pursuits; woe to the one whose parents are engaged in dishonorable pursuits.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel “The Reasons for My Involvement in the Peace Movement”
“The more deeply immersed I became in the thinking of the prophets, the more powerfully it became clear to me what the lives of the prophets sought to convey: that morally speaking, there is no limit to the concern one must feel for the suffering of human beings. It also became clear to me that in regard to cruelties committed in the name of a free society, some are guilty, while all are responsible.”
Mishnah Avot 1:7
Nitai of Arbel taught: Keep far from an evil neighbor; be not a partner with an evil person; never despair of retribution for the wicked.
לְפִיכָךְ נִבְרָא אָדָם יְחִידִי, לְלַמֶּדְךָ, שֶׁכָּל הַמְאַבֵּד נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ אִבֵּד עוֹלָם מָלֵא. וְכָל הַמְקַיֵּם נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ קִיֵּם עוֹלָם מָלֵא.
Therefore but a single person was created in the world, to teach that if any man has caused a single life to perish from Israel, he is deemed by Scripture as if he had caused a whole world to perish; and anyone who saves a single soul from Israel, he is deemed by Scripture as if he had saved a whole world.
אדהכי והכי אתו הנך תרי אתי א"ל הנך נמי בני עלמא דאתי נינהו אזל לגבייהו אמר להו מאי עובדייכו אמרו ליה אינשי בדוחי אנן מבדחינן עציבי אי נמי כי חזינן בי תרי דאית להו תיגרא בהדייהו טרחינן ועבדינן להו שלמא:
In the meantime, two brothers came to the marketplace. Elijah said to Rabbi Beroka: These two also have a share in the World-to-Come. Rabbi Beroka went over to the men and said to them: What is your occupation? They said to him: We are jesters, and we cheer up the depressed. Alternatively, when we see two people who have a quarrel between them, we strive to make peace. It is said that for this behavior one enjoys the profits of his actions in this world, and yet his reward is not diminished in the World-to-Come.