- Risk
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- Rabbi Reuven Mann - Dean, Masoret Institute
Response:
- The issue you raise regarding the need to jeopardize oneself to
rescue a sheep is a good one. Clearly this would pose a halachik
problem if an ordinary person were to risk his life for his property.
Chazal say that Eliphaz, the son of Essav, came after Yaakov to kill
him{on orders from his father} and that Yaakov gave him all his money
so that he could tell his father that he had accomplished his task-
since "ani chashiv k'mais" " a poor person is
considered as dead". Thus a person is obligated to give all his
money to save his own or even someone else's life. Certainly Dovid was
aware of this and did not suffer from a crazy attachment to money.
Since we don't know all the circumstances surrounding his decision to
pursue the lion and the bear, a certain amount of speculation is in
order.We don't know exactly why but the rescue of the sheep had
importance otherwise he wouldn't have wasted his time, and endangered
himself. Remember this was not his own personal 'business". He
was guarding the sheep for his father and took the responsibility very
seriously. If a sheep was lost because of his negligence then he was
guilty of a serious injustice in failing to fulfill his
responsibilities to his father.
- Thus he could not simply walk away from the problem. He decided to
go 'lifnim meshuras hadin' , to put all of his energy into the
decision. His thoughts and deliberations were on the level of ruach
hakodesh in terms of their clarity and accuracy. His knowledge of his
ability took the situation out of the level of sakana which would make
it assur. He thus had the right to undertake the action, and I believe
that for him it was a matter of justice in terms of fulfilling his
responsibilities as a roeh tzohn. Is it assur to skydive, ski
dangerous slopes? It all depends on the level of expertise. Just
because something is dangerous and can cause death does not make it
assur. If so, you would never be allowed to swim or drive or ski.
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- However there are certain actions which only a very few people can
do with the skill which would remove it from the sakana level where it
would be assur. This is the type of thing which is "massur
lalev" depends on the honesty and perfection of the individual.
Thus for Dovid it was something which he had great confidence rooted
in the most honest and realistic sources that he could perform. If so
in his own framework of justice he had an obligation to do it.
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