[א] "וכי ימוך אחיך ומטה ידו עמך" – אל תניחהו לירד. הא למה זה דומה? למשא על גבי החמור. עודנו במקומו – אחד תופס בו ומעמידו. נפל לארץ – חמשה אין מעמידין אותו. ומנין אם החזקת, אפילו ארבעה או חמשה פעמים, חזור והחזק? תלמוד לומר "והחזקת בו". יכול אתה מפסידו לתרבות רעה? תלמוד לומר "עמך". 'גר', זה גר צדק; 'תושב' – זה גר אוכל נבלות. "וחי עמך" – חייך קודמים לחייו.
1) (Vayikra 25:35) ("And if your brother grows poor, and his hand falls with you, then you shall uphold him, as a convert and as a sojourner; and he shall live with you.") "If your brother grows poor, and his hand falls with you": Do not allow him to drop. To what may this be compared? To a (slipping) burden upon an ass. So long as it is still in its place, you can grab onto it and set it aright. Once it has fallen to the ground, not even five can get it back again. And whence is it derived that even if you upheld him even four or five times you must, if necessary, continue doing so? From "then you shall uphold him" (connoting continuity) … and he shall live." I might think (that you must do so) even if you thereby assist him in some evil end; it is, therefore, written "with you," only if he is "with you" (imach) in Torah and mitzvoth, as in (Vayikra 19:17) "amitecha" — one who is "with you (itach)" in Torah and mitzvoth. "convert" (ger) — this is a ger tzedek (a righteous convert, one who accepts all the mitzvoth); "sojourner" (toshav) — this is a convert who eats carrion (but abstains from idolatry).
[א] "וכי ימוך אחיך ומטה ידו עמך" – אל תניחהו לירד. הא למה זה דומה? למשא על גבי החמור. עודנו במקומו – אחד תופס בו ומעמידו. נפל לארץ – חמשה אין מעמידין אותו. ומנין אם החזקת, אפילו ארבעה או חמשה פעמים, חזור והחזק? תלמוד לומר "והחזקת בו". יכול אתה מפסידו לתרבות רעה? תלמוד לומר "עמך". 'גר', זה גר צדק; 'תושב' – זה גר אוכל נבלות. "וחי עמך" – חייך קודמים לחייו.
1) (Vayikra 25:35) ("And if your brother grows poor, and his hand falls with you, then you shall uphold him, as a convert and as a sojourner; and he shall live with you.") "If your brother grows poor, and his hand falls with you": Do not allow him to drop. To what may this be compared? To a (slipping) burden upon an ass. So long as it is still in its place, you can grab onto it and set it aright. Once it has fallen to the ground, not even five can get it back again. And whence is it derived that even if you upheld him even four or five times you must, if necessary, continue doing so? From "then you shall uphold him" (connoting continuity) … and he shall live." I might think (that you must do so) even if you thereby assist him in some evil end; it is, therefore, written "with you," only if he is "with you" (imach) in Torah and mitzvoth, as in (Vayikra 19:17) "amitecha" — one who is "with you (itach)" in Torah and mitzvoth. "convert" (ger) — this is a ger tzedek (a righteous convert, one who accepts all the mitzvoth); "sojourner" (toshav) — this is a convert who eats carrion (but abstains from idolatry).