Day #260–Rambam DAILY Sefer HaMitzvos

is day number 260 of our daily study of and in the three chapters of day study track of M we're continuing laws of murder and uh protecting one's life chapters 5 six and seven uh we have uh a bunch of Mitzvah today 1 two three four Mitzvah okay positive commandment 247 is to save a victim from from an attacker we have a Mitzvah not an option an obligation to save a potential victim from the pursuer the reiff that means if somebody is going to kill somebody else then this is a rare case of vigilante justice but the totto says that you have to stop the attacker now um if you can stop the attacker by injuring him and you don't have to kill you don't have to use deadly force then you should do so obviously you don't just go straight to murdering the attacker but uh if you do have to use deadly force then that's what you have to do and that is the uh the Mitzvah and and I want to mention also that the law of re is not just if somebody is a wouldbe murderer but also if the right the purs or wants to commit an act of sexual immorality with another person so you can protect the wouldbe victim of that crime also through the application of deadly force if necessary negative commandment 293 is it is forbidden it is prohibited to have pity on the retif on the pursuer so not only is it a positive commandment to step in and save the wouldbe victim but it is a transgression against a Prohibition to stand by idly and allow the crime to occur negative commandment 297 is similar uh but here is not necessarily where there's a pursuer or an attack attacker this is just standing by and allowing somebody to uh to be endangered to be in Mortal Peril so negative 297 is to refuse to offer assistance to somebody like for instance somebody's drowning and you know how to swim but you just say you know what why is it my problem why do I have to be the guy to do it so that's an actual transgression ression interestingly this law is also applied regarding giving testimony that if you have testimony that can help somebody else in court even if it's not life and death by the way this prohibition do not stand idly by your neighbor's blood would also be applied in that instance as well in other words it means don't say What's it my problem why should I make it my business the Torah is making it your business okay positive commandment 182 is to designate Cities of Refuge we spoke about this yesterday that somebody who is an an inadvertent murderer his penalty is exile in specific Cities of Refuge in the land of Israel there were six such cities designated when mesiah comes three more will be established that is a Mitzvah an eternal Mitzvah by the way this is one of the sources for the guarantee that messia must come because the Torah is eternal it's Mitzvah are Eternal and we haven't yet carried out this part of the Mitzvah we didn't yet make the three more Cities of Refuge okay those are mitzvah for today we will see you for more tomorrow God willing