Commento su Deuteronomio 22:10

לא תחרש בשור ובחמור THOU SHALT NOT PLOUGH WITH AN OX AND WITH AN ASS [TOGETHER] — The same law applies to any two different kinds of animals in existence; the same law applies also to merely driving them together (when not ploughing) whilst they are yoked together as a pair carrying any load (Sifrei Devarim 232:1-2; cf. Kilayim 8:2 and 3; Bava Metzia 8b).

He states, Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.¹⁸⁷Verse 10. The same law applies to all diverse species of animals. It is an explanatory commandment of the prohibitions, Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind,¹⁸²Leviticus 19:19. for it is the custom of tillers of their soil to bring their working animals into the same stall and gender them.¹⁸⁸See Ramban to Leviticus 19:19 (first part) where the same thought is expressed, but there the ending reads: “and there they might come to gender with a diverse kind.” See also Vol. III, p. 296, Note 101. And in the matter of sha’atneiz [a garment of mingled stuff] he explained here that it applies only to [a combination of] wool and linen. He mentioned Thou shalt not wear¹⁸⁹Verse 11. in order to teach that coming upon thee [Neither shall there ‘come upon thee’ a garment of two kinds of stuff]¹⁸²Leviticus 19:19. is forbidden only if it is worn as a garment [indicated by the term “wear” used in the verse before us].¹⁹⁰Hence clothiers may display garments of diverse kinds in the usual fashion provided they do not intend to use them as protection from the sun or as protection from the rain (Yebamoth 4b).

This applies, as well, to any two species in the universe, etc. You might ask: From where does Rashi know this? Perhaps the prohibition applies only to plowing with an ox and a donkey! The answer is that we derive this by comparing the word “ox” here to the word “ox” regarding Shabbos where it says (above 5:14), “Your ox and your donkey and all your animals.” Just as there, all animals are included, so here too, all animals are included. And because “ox and donkey” is not to be understood literally, so too, “you may not plow” is not to be understood literally, “and applies as well, to leading them together, etc.”

V. 10. לא תחרש. Wie du beim Hausbau der Nächstenpflicht gedenken, beim Weinbau dich an das Sittengesetz erinnern sollst, so sollst du, wenn du das deiner Herrschaft unterstehende Tier in deinen Dienst jochst, dich an die Herrschaft des mahnen, dessen Gattungsgesetz dir auch im Tierleben entgegentritt, dem du ebenso unterstehst, wie dir das Tier, und indem du die Willkür aus deinem Schaffen hinausweisest und nicht von Gott geschiedene Tiergattungen in deinem Dienst zusammenkoppelst, so mahnt dich dies, auch für dein Schaffen und Wirken seines למינו-Rufes an dich eingedenk zu bleiben und dich mit deinem ganzen Schaffen und Wirken als "jüdischer Mensch" im Dienste deines Herrn zu bewähren.

לא תחרוש בשור ובחמור יחדיו, “You shall not plough with and ox and a donkey together.” The ox is a pure species chewing the cud, whereas the donkey is an impure species. When the donkey hears the ox chewing food it pains him. [Apparently, chewing the cud is a noisy procedure. Ed.]

לא תחרוש בשור וחמור, “do not plough with an ox and donkey together pulling the plough.” The ox, being an animal that chews the cud is constantly eating, whereas the donkey in the meantime is being overworked. This is an example of inflicting pain on living creatures. (Baaley Tossaphot.) An alternate interpretation; G-d’s mercy extends not only to human beings but to all of His creatures. Therefore these two categories of beasts being mismatched as one is far stronger than the other, it would be causing the donkey pain to be part of such a team pulling the plough.

שור וחמור unseres Textes ist nur exemplifikatorisch דבר הכתוב בהווה, die Schrift nennt nur die gewöhnlichen Arbeitstiere, ebenso wie bei dem מלאכה-Verbot durch Tiere am שבת (Dewarim 5, 14) שור וחמור selbst durch das hinzugefügte וכל בהמתך erweitert wird, wodurch allen im Gesetze vorkommenden שור וחמור die exemplifikatorische Bedeutung erteilt wird, יליף שור שור משבת Ebenso ist חרישה nur Beispiel und umfasst analog jede durch Tierkräfte zu bewirkende Leistung. Wie Pflügen ist daher Wagen- und Lastenziehen etc. etc. durch zwei verbundene verschiedenartige Tiere jeder Art verboten, und selbst das Antreiben solcher Tiere durch bloßen Zuruf, הנהגה בקול, siele unter dies Verbot (Kilajim 8, 2. 3 und B. M. 90 b).

יחדו, “together;” it is forbidden only when the two animals are tied together to the ploughshare. (Sifri). Our sages in the Talmud, tractate Baba Kama folio 54, state: what is stated here includes any two animals of different species, but excludes two human beings pulling the plough together, even if one is considerably stronger than the other. The reason why this law is written here is that we previously spoke about sowing, and ploughing is closely related to sowing.