The Snake in the Courtyard: A Lesson in Shared Responsibility

One hot afternoon, a concerned mother stepped outside and noticed a snake slithering between the courtyards near her home. She quickly called the municipal snake catcher, hoping he would take care of the situation. However, the catcher arrived, searched the area but couldn’t find the snake, and left saying that his job was only to catch snakes, not to search for them. The mother, still frightened, wasn’t reassured by the catcher's response and decided to call a private snake catcher.

The private catcher did his job thoroughly, searching high and low until he finally found the snake that had been terrifying the neighbors. After safely capturing it with his equipment, he received his payment for the service and went on his way.

Later, the concerned neighbors approached Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein, the rabbi of the Ramat Elchanan neighborhood, asking who should bear the cost of catching the snake. Should it be the residents of the building where the snake was caught? Or perhaps the residents of the surrounding buildings should share the expense, since the snake had been moving between courtyards?

Rabbi Zilberstein explained that a similar question had been posed to his father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, and his answer was clear. Rabbi Elyashiv said, “Every mother who is afraid to let her children leave the house because of the snake should share in the expenses.”

Rabbi Zilberstein went on to explain that this isn’t just a matter of the building where the snake was found. If the snake is moving between courtyards, everyone in the area who feels concerned is essentially benefiting from its capture. Therefore, all residents of the nearby buildings, anyone who shares the fear of the snake, should participate in the cost of its capture.

Rabbi Zilberstein also added an important point regarding Shabbat. He explained that if a snake is found on Shabbat, it is permitted to call a snake catcher, but there is one condition: the snake catcher must not be benefiting from the snake. Some catchers sell the snakes to medical schools, which would be considered “work needed for itself” and is forbidden on Shabbat.