Don't be cruel

Hi,

"Someone bought land beside his father's land. When it came time to divide up [his father's estate], he requested [of the other heirs], 'Give me my portion along my existing boundary.' 

"Rabbah said: In a case like this [if the heirs refused the request out of spite], we would compel the heirs not to act as Sodom."

(Talmud, Bava Batra 12b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Teach children humanity

Hi,

"Above all, those to whom the care of young minds has been entrusted, see to it that they respect both the smallest and the largest animal as beings which, like man, have been summoned to the joy of life and have been granted sensitivity. And do not forget that the boy who, in crude joy, finds delight in the convulsions of an injured beetle or the anxiety of a suffering animal will soon also be dumb towards human pain."

(Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb 416)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

When cruelty is mercy?

Hi,

"Cruelty toward people who trick others into following emptiness, is an act of mercy toward the rest of the world, as it is written, 'That Gd may retreat from His anger and give you mercy.'"

(Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Sanhedrin 11:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai