Parshas Ki Setzei

“You may not muzzle an ox in its threshing!” (Devarim 25:4)

It is a negative commandment not to hold an animal back from eating from that which it was working with while it is working. Examples of this are when it is threshing grain or carrying straw from one place to the next on its back that we have no right to stop it eating from that grain or straw. About this it says “You may not muzzle an ox in its threshing!”.

Amongst the roots of this commandment are to teach ourselves to make our souls into generous souls who choose the correct way and cleave to it and run after kindness and mercifulness and when we accustom our souls to this type of behaviour even in relation to animals who were only created to serve man and one has pity on them to give them their portion in the labour of their flesh, the soul of that person will take its path in become accustomed to this to do good to other people and to guard from behaving in the wrong way towards them in any way that is fitting to them and to repay their reward in all the good that they do and to satisfy then from that which they toil and this is the path that it is fitting for the chosen holy nation to walk in.

This prohibition applies in all places and at all times both to men and to women.