(י) אַרְבַּע מִדּוֹת בָּאָדָם. הָאוֹמֵר שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלִּי וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלָּךְ, זוֹ מִדָּה בֵינוֹנִית. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, זוֹ מִדַּת סְדוֹם. שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלָּךְ וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלִּי, עַם הָאָרֶץ. שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלָּךְ וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלָּךְ, חָסִיד. שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלִּי וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלִּי, רָשָׁע:
There are four character types among people: One who says “My property is mine and yours is yours” is an average character type, but some say the characteristic of Sodom. One who says, “mine is yours and yours is mine” is an unlearned person. One who says, “Mine is yours and yours is yours” is pious. One who says “Yours is mine and mine is mine” is wicked.
2. What kind of people is the text describing?
אִם הָיְתָה נְטִיעָה בְּתוֹךְ יָדָךְ וְיֹאמְרוּ לָּךְ "הֲרֵי לָךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ", בּוֹא וּנְטַע אֶת הַנְטִיעָה וְאַחַר כָּךְ צֵא וְהַקְבִּילוֹ
Avot d'Rabbi Natan 31b
Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai used to say: If you have a sapling in your hand and are planting it, and someone should say to you that the Messiah has come, stay and complete the planting, and only then go to greet the Messiah.
2. What values does planting the tree before going to greet the Messiah express?
When you besiege a city for a long in making war against it to take it, do not destroy the trees with axes; you should eat them, but do not cut them down. For a tree of the field is a person, and should you then go and besiege it?
1. What does it mean for a person to be a "tree of the field"?
(יט) לא תשחית את עצה לנדוח עליו גרזן לא תשחית את העץ כדי לנדוח עליו גרזן משחית בלבד שלא לצורך אלא להזיק לבני העיר:
(19) לא תשחית את עצה לנדוח עליו גרזן, do not destroy its trees merely in order to practice wielding an axe. Destruction must not be wanton; it is justified only if it serves to harm the enemy residing within the city.
(יט) כי האדם עץ השדה. הרי כי משמש בלשון דלמא שמא האדם עץ השדה להכנס בתוך המצור מפניך להתיסר ביסורי רעב וצמא כאנשי העיר, למה תשחיתנו:
Is the tree of the field a man, to go into the siege before you]?: The word כִּי here means“perhaps:” Is the tree of the field perhaps a man who is to go into the siege by you, that it should be punished by the suffering of hunger and thirst like the people of the city? Why should you destroy it?
(יט) כי האדם עץ השדה כי האמנם עץ השדה האדם ראוי לבא מפניך בגללו העיר במצור למסור את עצמם בידך מכח מצור וכיון שאינו כן בזה גם שראוי להזיק ליושבי העיר בכלי מלחמה כמו בסוללות וזולתם להביא העיר במצור. הנה בהיות שלא תשיג זה בהשחתת האילנות אין ראוי להשחיתם כמו שראוי שתשחית האדם יושבי העיר:
Is then the tree of the field a man? Is then the tree of the field a man who is capable of submitting to you that the city be besieged on its, account, and be forced to surrender because of the siege? This is (obviously) not so, and although it is acceptable to inflict damage upon the inhabitants of a city with implements of war and other kinds of (tactics) so as to besiege the city, since you will not attain (this goal) by destroying the trees, it is improper to destroy them. (Yet, it is still) proper that you destroy the people who dwell in the city.
א לְהַשְׁחִית אִילָנֵי מַאֲכָל שֶׁתִּדְבַּק בָּנוּ הַטּוֹבָה, וְנַרְחִיק מִכָּל דָּבָר רָע וּמִכָּל כָּ ...שּׁרֶֹשׁ הַמִּצְוָה יָדוּעַ , שֶׁהוּא כְּדֵי לְלַמֵּד נַפְשֵׁנוּ לֶאֱהבֹ הַטּוֹב וְהַתּוֹעֶלֶת וּלְהִדָּבֵק בּוֹ, וּמִתּוֹ יְאַבְּדוּ אֲפִלּוּ גַּרְגִּיר שֶׁל הַחֲסִידִים וְאַנְשֵׁי מַעֲשֶׂה אוֹהֲבִים שָׁלוֹם וּשְׂמֵחִים בְטוּב הַבְּרִיּוֹת וּמְקָרְבִים אוֹתָן לַתּוֹרָה, ְדְּבַר הַשְׁחָתָה, וְזֶהוּ דֶּרֶ חַרְדָּל בָּעוֹלָם, וְיֵצַר עֲלֵיהֶם בְּכָל אֲבַדּוֹן וְהַשְׁחָתָה שֶׁיִּרְאוּ, וְאִם יוּכְלוּ לְהַצִּיל יַצִּילוּ כָּל דָּבָר מֵהַשְׁחִית בְּכָל כּחָֹם...
“The root reason for the precept [of Bal Tashchit/do not destroy] is known: for it is in order to train our spirits to love what is good and beneficial and to cling to it; and as a result, good fortune will cling to us, and we will move well away from every evil thing and from every matter of destructiveness. [This is the way of the kindly men of piety and the conscientiously observant; they love peace and are happy at the good fortune of people, and bring them near the Torah.] They will not destroy even a mustard seed in the world, and they are distressed at every ruination and spoilage that they see; and if they are able to do any rescuing, they will save anything from destruction, with all their power.”
...אמר רב זוטרא האי מאן דמיכסי שרגא דמשחא ומגלי נפטא קעבר משום בל תשחית...
One who covers an oil lamp [causing the flame to burn inefficiently] or uncovers a kerosene lamp [allowing the fuel to evaporate faster] violates the prohibition of bal tashchit.
ולא האילנות בלבד, אלא כל המשבר כלים, וקורע בגדים, והורס בניין, וסותם מעיין, ומאבד מאכלות דרך השחתה--עובר ב”לא תשחית”
Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings 6:10
Not only one who cuts down a fruit tree, but anyone who destroys household goods, tears clothing, demolishes a building stops up a spring, or ruins food deliberately, violates the prohibition of Bal Tashchit,‘do not destroy.'
2. How might the values of the rabbi––who lived before the modern age–– apply to the world in which we live today?
3. What are ways to practice Bal Taschit in the modern world?