Musar para sa Mga Awit 145:9

Behold that God tests the righteous to know if they are fit to be leaders, according to their leadership over animals, to what extent they delve into their needs and know how to provide for their betterment. Once King David, peace be upon him, distinguished between the specific requirements of all the types of sheep, each one according to its strength - and organized that the young sheet graze first while there is still soft grass, and the adult ones graze afterward since they have the ability to also eat the harder [grass] - the Holy One, blessed be He, found him fit to be the shepherd and leader of the people as well. And likewise, Moshe, our teacher: As he followed the kid in order to determine what the reason was for its running away. And after he determined that it was tired and thirsty, he had mercy upon it and placed it upon his shoulders. This revealed that he understood and examined the needs of every creature; so the Holy One, blessed be He, found him fit to be the shepherd of the Jewish people. But why did He test them specifically in their relationship to animals? Because from that, the trait of kindness and mercy that they were graced with was revealed. And is it not written concerning the Holy One, blessed be He (Psalms 145), "and His mercy is upon all of His creations," to include all of the creatures? (See Bava Metzia 85 with the story about Rabbi with the calf and with the young weasels.) And it is also written (Psalms 145), "The eyes of all hope towards You, and You give them their food in its time," as He concerns Himself for each one individually, according to its needs and time. Hence, only a person who goes in the ways of God and also has mercy upon all of the creatures and knows to distinguish and delve into the ways of each of them can stand this test and be fit for the task of being a shepherd and leader.

The sage said, "Mercy is the result of kindliness and honesty." In regard to it, Solomon the Wise spake when he exhorted to mercy and compassion (Prov. xxiv. 11), "If thou forbear to deliver them that are born unto death." A beautiful feature of this quality in connection with the Creator, exalted and hallowed may He be, is that He is merciful in dealing with all His creatures. Thus it is said (Ps. cxlv. 9), "The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works." In the book of Al-Kuti, it is said, "Spare no effort to deliver those who are confronted with death." Again he said, "Do not wrong the weak, for their Protector is God, the mighty One." He said, "Prosperous are they whose heart is ever merciful and meek," and again we find therein, "He who is not merciful will die by the hand of one who is merciless."

To have mercy upon all of the creatures: He must also have his mercy extend to all the creatures. He [should] not disgrace them nor destroy them. As behold, the Highest Wisdom is spread over all the creatures - the inanimate, the growing (plants), the living (animals) and the speaking (people). And we are warned about disgracing food for this reason. And about this thing it is fitting that [just] like the Highest Wisdom does not disgrace anything in existence and everything was made from There, as it is written, "You made all of them with wisdom" - so [too, should] the mercy of a person be over all of His creations, may He be blessed. And for this reason was the holy Rebbe punished: Since he did not pity the young calf that was hiding with him and said to it, "Go, you were created for this," afflictions came upon him (Bava Metzia 85a). As they were from the side of judgement; since behold, mercy protects from judgement. And when he had mercy on a weasel and said, "It is written (Psalms 145:9), 'and His mercies are over all of His creatures,'" he was saved from the judgement - since the light of Wisdom was spread over him and the afflictions withdrew. And upon this way, he [should] not disgrace anything in existence from that which exists, as all of them are with Wisdom. And [so] he [should] not uproot a plant except for a need nor kill an animal except for a need. And [then] he [should] chose a nice death, with a checked knife, to have mercy in as much as is possible.