Musar for Bava Metzia 63:15
טעמא דכתב רחמנא את שבתותי תשמרו הא לאו הכי הוה אמינא צייתא ליה ואמאי האי עשה והאי לא תעשה ועשה ולא אתי עשה ודחי את לא תעשה ועשה
IF HE FINDS IT IN A STABLE, HE HAS NO RESPONSIBILITY TOWARD IT. R. Isaac said: Provided that it is standing within the tehum.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A sabbath day's journey. i.e., 2000 cubits without the town boundary. ');"><sup>12</sup></span>
Mesilat Yesharim
Included in this matter is to not cause pain to any creature, even animals, and to show mercy and concern towards them. Likewise scripture states: "the righteous man knows the soul of his beast" (Mishlei 12:10) (Rashi-what his beast needs), and according to some of our sages (Shabbat 128b), to cause pain to an animal is a biblical prohibition, while to others it is at least a Rabbinical prohibition.
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