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1)WHEN A BEN-GILO VISITS A SICK PERSON
אמר מר בן גילו נוטל אחד מששים בחליו
Translation: As a Master said: When a man who is Ben Gilo visits a sick person, he takes away a sixtieth of his illness.
(a)What is the meaning of Ben Gilo?
1.Ran: Born in the same Mazal (constellation).
2.Meiri in Bava Metzia: Born at the exact same moment.
3.Meiri in Nedarim: A person from which the sick person enjoys his visit.
2)WHY YERUSHALAYIM WAS DESTROYED
דאמר ר׳ יוחנן לא חרבה ירושלים אלא על שדנו בה דין תורה אלא דיני דמגיזתא לדיינו אלא אימא שהעמידו דיניהם על דין תורה ולא עבדו לפנים משורת הדין׃
Translation: As R. Yochanan said: Yerushalayim was only destroyed because they judged strictly in accordance with Torah law. But should they have judged liked dictators?! Rather, say: It is because they enforced their judgements like the Torah law, and did not go beyond the letter of the law.
(a)Who is the Gemara referring to when it says that they enforced their judgments etc.?
1.Toras Chaim: It cannot refer to the Dayanim, as they cannot a litigant to compromise. Rather, it refers to the litigants themselves. They were particular and neither would waive his rights against the other and go beyond the letter of the law.
(b)How did their Divine punishment fit their crime?
1.Maharal, Iyun Yaakov, Eitz Yosef: They were guilty of other sins, for which Hash-m was willing to go beyond the letter of the law and not destroy Yerushalayim. However, once the people were exacting with their rights and would not go beyond the letter of the law, they were treated that way in the Divine judgment against them.
(c)How does this fit with the Gemara in Yoma 9b that says that Yerushalayim was destroyed because of Sinas Chinam (baseless hatred)? (Tosfos)
1.Tosfos: They both caused it.
2.Etz Yosef: Tosfos mean that since they had baseless hatred for each other, they were not willing to go beyond the letter of the law and come to a compromise.
3. Chasam Sofer citing R. Yaakov Virmiz of Frankfurt: They are both true. In the famous story (Gitin 55b) of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, when the host of the banquet threw out Bar Kamtza, the Chachamim did not protest the public embarrassment of Bar Kamtza. Why did they act this way? One could explain based on the Gemara in Pesachim 113b that states that one who witnessed someone doing an act of promiscuity should not testify about him as a single witness, although he is permitted to hate the offender. Tosfos there (ד"ה שראה) write that he should not publicly show this hatred. This requirement of Tosfos appears to be Lifnim Meshuras Hadin - going beyond the letter of the law.
Translation: When Yisrael sinned at that time, the regular people had baseless hatred and the Chachamim followed the letter of the law (without going beyond it). The host had baseless hatred for Bar Kamtza, but the Chachamim judged him favorably and assumed that he must have witnessed Bar Kamtza doing a promiscuous act. They were silent as they assumed that the host was merely acting according to the letter of the law, by hating him even in public. They should have gone beyond the letter of the law and required the host to also act this way and refrain from publicly embarrassing Bar Kamtza.
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3)HELPING AN ENEMY TO LOAD HIS ANIMAL
אוהב לפרוק ושונא לטעון מצוה בשונא כדי לכוף את יצרו ואי סלקא דעתך צער בעלי חיים דאורייתא הא עדיף ליה אפ״ה כדי לכוף את יצרו עדיף
Translation: (If one has the choice between) unloading the burden of a friend or loading one of his enemy, the priority mitzvah is to load for his enemy, in order to conquer his evil inclination.' And if you think that relieving animal suffering is a Torah obligation, this should be preferable! Even so, conquering his evil inclination is preferable.
(a)Who is this enemy and why does conquering one's evil inclination override saving an animal from suffering?
1.Tosfos, Ramban: If the enemy here is a person who the Torah permits to hate, for example, if he was seen involved in an immoral act; why is there a Mitzvah for the other person to conquer his evil inclination? Answer - we are not discussing here an enemy according to the Torah's definition.
2.Ahavas Eisan: The Beraisa could be discussing the Torah's enemy. If he was brazen, it is permitted to hate him. Therefore, if you load with him, it will humble that person and assist him to conquer his evil inclination to be brazen.
3.HaBoneh: The Shleimus (perfection) of a person depends upon the intellect being dominant over the physical. This is so important, that it to be pursued, even according to the opinion that saving an animal from suffering is a Torah obligation.
4.Michtav M'Eliyahu: Even though unloading will prevent the suffering of the animal, it is more important to help the one he hates. When the person is benevolent to the one who he hates, the hatred will leave his heart and it will be replaced by love.
