daf bit: Bava Metzia 33

[cellio]

The torah teaches: if you meet your enemy's donkey gone astray you must return it to him, and if you see the donkey of one who hates you overwhelmed by its load you must help unload it. The g'mara discusses the latter and asks what distance "see" represents -- how far must you go to help the animal? The rabbis juxtapose these verses and say "see" is like "meet", and (through reasoning not explained here) conclude that the distance in question is two-fifteenths of a mil, which in modern terms is 200 feet. If you're at least that close, you must go and help. A tanna teaches that one must then accompany it a short distance (a parsang, whatever that is) lest it fall again. (33a)

Comments

[cellio]

I was taught the same about animals, yes. (And I guess kids implicitly, though these days with hyper "how dare you touch my kid! I didn't think it was a problem!" parents I'm less inclined to intervene there unless the consequences are dire.)

Seems pretty clear for me, though the idea of legislating distance of responsibility is a little too rules-lawyer for my tastes.

I wonder if this is because the action will bring you in immediate contact with someone who hates you and thus might pose a danger? (I'll have to see if I can find anything about range for returning a lost animal, which you can presumably do with less personal exposure.)