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When the Torah (תורה) commands helping someone whose donkey is collapsing, Targum Onkelos says you must "abandon the hate in your heart"—but how can you abandon hatred toward someone you're obligated to hate for his sins? The shiur contrasts Rashi (רש"י)'s approach (hate the sin but not the person, so genuine help is possible) with Targum's (you hate the person but must temporarily let go to help him properly).
The shiur analyzes a fundamental dispute between Rashi (רש"י) and Targum Onkelos on the mitzvah (מצוה) to help someone whose donkey is collapsing under its load (Parshas Mishpatim). The pasuk states, "You see the donkey of your enemy (sonecha) collapsing—should you stop helping him? You shall surely help (azov ta'azov) with him." Rashi interprets "azov" as meaning to help, while Targum Onkelos translates it as "abandon"—specifically, abandon the hatred in your heart toward this person. This raises a fundamental question from Gemara (גמרא) Pesachim: when someone is an eid echad (single witness) to another person's immoral behavior (davar ervah), there is a mitzvah to hate that person. If the Torah (תורה) obligates us to hate this individual, how can the Torah simultaneously command us to abandon that hatred? According to Rashi's interpretation, the answer is straightforward—you help him despite the hatred, performing the action without changing your internal feelings. But according to Targum Onkelos, who says you must abandon the hatred, the question is acute.
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Mishpatim (Shemos 23:5)
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Why didn't Noach daven for his generation while Avrohom advocated for Sedom? Noach viewed each person as an independent island responsible only for their own teshuvah. Avrohom understood that all humanity is interconnected through shared perspective and values, making prayer for others both possible and necessary.
