Mishnah מִשְׁנָה
Who are we responsible for?
After Kayin kills his brother, Hevel, God says:
וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מֶ֣ה עָשִׂ֑יתָ ק֚וֹל דְּמֵ֣י אָחִ֔יךָ צֹעֲקִ֥ים אֵלַ֖י מִן־הָֽאֲדָמָֽה׃
“What have you done? Your brother’s bloods cry out to Me from the ground!”
Why does God say that Hevel’s bloods–in plural, דְּמֵי (demei)–are crying out? Wouldn’t it make more sense to use the singular word, דָּם (dam, blood)?
A mishnah explains that the plural “demei” teaches that Kayin was responsible for Hevel’s death and also for preventing Hevel’s potential children - and their children! - from being born in the future. Kayin’s crime includes all the many bloods of all these people! (Sanhedrin 4:5)
What does this teach us about the value of every single human life?
From God’s response to Kayin’s crime, the mishnah teaches:
כָּל הַמְאַבֵּד נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ אִבֵּד עוֹלָם מָלֵא.
וְכָל הַמְקַיֵּם נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ קִיֵּם עוֹלָם מָלֵא.
If you destroy one life, it’s like you destroyed the entire world.
If you save one life, it’s like you saved the entire world.
- Why does each life have the value of an entire world? In what way?
- Based on these ideas, how hard should we try to save a single life?
- What are some things that kids can do to help save people’s lives?
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