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harmed or upset his colleague in any way, the way of most of the world
is not to stop seeking the offender until he has repaid his bad deed in
kind or has hurt the offender like he hurt him. Hashem yisbarach pre-
vents us doing this by commanding us,“Do not take revenge” (Vayikra
19:18). The Sifra writes, “How far does revenge extend? One person
said to another, ‘Lend me your scythe’ and he wouldn’t lend him it.
The next day he [the scythe owner] asked him,‘Lend me your axe.’ He
replied,‘I won’t lend it to you just as you wouldn’t lend me your scythe.’
About this it says‘Do not take revenge’ and it applies in all similar sit-
uations.

The roots of the mitzvah are: that a person should know and
should take to heart that whatever happens to him, good or bad, is
dispatched to him with a reason from Hashem yisbarach. Whether it
be something that one person does to another, nothing happens un-
less He wills it. Therefore, when another person causes him distress
or pain he should know within himself that his sins are responsible
and that Hashem has decreed this for him. He should not direct his
thoughts toward exacting revenge from the offender because he is not
the cause of the evil that has befallen him rather, sin is the cause. As
David Hamelech a”h, said,“Let him [i.e. Shimi ben Geira] alone and
let him curse for Hashem has bidden him [to do so].” He attributed
the incident to his own sin, not to Shimi ben Geira... Anyone who
violates this and resolves within his heart to hate his friend for hav-
ing harmed him until he has paid him back in kind transgresses this
negative precept.”

The Sefer Hachinuch writes further that Mitzvah 242 is not to bear
a grudge: “Meaning, we are prevented from harboring any grudge in
our hearts over harm that a fellow Jew did us…we are even prevented
from remembering his wrongdoing in our heart...How far does car-
rying a grudge go? One person said to another,‘Lend me your scythe’
and he refused to lend it. The next day he [the scythe owner] said,
‘Lend me your axe!’ and he responded, ‘Here you are – I am not like
you who did not lend me [the utensil I needed].’ About this the Torah
says, ‘Do not bear a grudge.’ In all respects this mitzvah is similar to
the previous mitzvah of not taking revenge.”

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