יום ב Date: 18 Adar, 5775 (3/9/15) – Kesuvos#35 {Eliezer}

SHIRKING RESPONSIBILITY

[35a top] Rava quoting Chizkiyah’s school: When one kills an animal he is obligated to pay [there is no difference if he did so inadvertently or deliberately, with intention or without intention, whether his blow was downwards or upwards, in all cases, he is obligated to pay (for a person is always liable for his actions)].

D-E-ep Thoughts: In our surrounding secular culture, we are flooded with ideas that portray ideals of non-responsibility. People try to pass the buck and put blame on others for their own faults and misdeeds (ie: the woman who sued Starbucks for $250,000 when she spilled coffee on herself). The Torah teaches us that we are always responsible for our actions. Even if something came about as an “accident,” we have to remember that everything is divinely orchestrated and for some good reason it was meant to be.