Negative Mitzvah 299: It is forbidden to offer misleading advice
Leviticus 19:14 "Nor shall you put a stumbling block before the blind"

It is unlikely that a person would purposely cause a blind person to fall!

However, this Negative Mitzvah implies more than that.

Blindness means not being able to see, but it does not only apply to the loss of eyesight.

A person who does not know certain things may also be considered "blind" - "unknowing" in those matters.

When he asks us for information and advice, we should give him the right answer. If we misguide him, he may do wrong, suffer a loss, make a mistake or fail.

The Torah cautions us never to cause another person to suffer because of bad advice or instructions that we give them. We must be careful and try to guide the person correctly and properly.

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Positive Mitzvah 202: Unloading the Burden from a Tired Animal
Exodus 23:5 "If you see the donkey of your enemy lying under its burden...you shall surely unload it with him"

This Positive Mitzvah is an act of kindness which a person would normally do when confronted with a helpless animal suffering from a heavy load.

The Torah insists that even if the animal's owner is someone we aren't particularly friendly with, or even dislike, we must help them.

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Positive Mitzvah 203: Lifting the Burden from an Animal whose Load has Fallen
Deuteronomy 22:4 "You shall surely help him lift it (the load) up again"

In addition to unloading the burden from a fallen animal (see Positive Mitzvah 202), we must also help the owner rearrange the load on the animal.

We are commanded to help him tie the load on again and enable him to continue his journey.

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Negative Mitzvah 270: It is forbidden to refrain from helping a person in need of assistance
Exodus 23:5 "You shall not refrain from helping him

Helping a person in time of need is not just an act of kindness, it is also one of the commandments of the Torah.

If we see a person or an animal in need of assistance, we must help him.

Positive Mitzvah 202 commands us to unload a burden from a person or animal which has fallen under this burden. This Negative Mitzvah forbids us from leaving him helpless.

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The relation of husband and wife is the way our world reflects the relation of the Creator with His Creation. There is nothing more pivotal to the world's ultimate fulfillment than this. Therefore, as the world nears closer and closer to its fulfillment, the resistance grows stronger and stronger. By now, absolutely everything appears to be undermining the most crucial key of peace between man and woman.

From: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth by Tzvi Freeman - tzvif@aol.com