5:41: And if anyone compels you to walk a mile, walk with him two miles.

This saying of Jesus is cited in Beth ha-Midrash 5:61: לך עמי פרסה ילך עמו שני פרסאות; see § Matt 10:2 B.

A: ἀγγαρεία, which passed into rabbinic literature as אַנְגָּרְיָא, means compulsory service; from this comes ἀγγαρεύειν = forcing people or animals to perform a service.a Such compulsion was considered reprehensible.b In contrast, voluntary escorting done to honor someone, given to a teacher, etc., was considered praiseworthy and meritorious.c

a. Mishnah Baba Meṣiʿa 6.3: If someone hires a donkey … and it is taken away (on the way) for compulsory service נַעֲשֵׂית אַנְגָּרְיָא, the one renting it out may say to the hirer, “Behold, what was yours was before you!” (What you had to claim has become yours; so the one renting it out does not need to provide a replacement).—The decision is different in t. B. Meṣ. 7.7 (386). ‖ Tosefta Baba Meṣiʿa 7.8 (386): If someone hires a laborer and he is called upon to do compulsory service, he cannot say to him, “Behold, this one is before you!” but he gives him his wages for what he has worked. ‖ Babylonian Talmud Yoma 35B: It has been told of R. Eleazar b. Harsom (a rich priest at the time of the temple’s existence) that his father left him a thousand cities on the land and corresponding to them a thousand ships on the sea: and daily he took (nevertheless) a sleeve of flour on his shoulder and went from city to city, from country to country, to study Torah. Once his slaves (who did not recognize him) met him, and made him do compulsory service עשו בו אנגריא. He said to them, “I beg you, leave me alone, that I may go and study Torah.” But they said to him, “By the life of R. Eleazar b. Harsom, we will not let you!”

b. Babylonian Talmud Nedarim 32A: R. Abbahu (ca. 300) said that R. Eleazar (ca. 270) said, “Why was our father Abraham punished by his children being made to serve the Egyptians for 210 years? Because he compelled the students of the scholars to serve עשה אנגריא ב׳, as it says, ‘He (Abraham) made his taught ones, who were begotten in his house (spiritually, as students), to go forth’ (Gen 14:14, according to the Midrash).” ‖ Babylonian Talmud Soṭah 10A: Raba († 352) publicly presented the following: “Why was Asa punished? Because he compulsorily summoned the students of the scholars for services; see 1 Kgs 15:22: ‘King Asa summoned all Judah, and none remained free (from bondage).’ ” What do you mean, “None remained free?” Rab Judah († 299) said that Rab († 247) said, “Not even the bridegroom in his chamber and the bride in her wedding chamber.”—See also b. Sanh. 101B: To render compulsorily services to pharaoh’s daughter לעשות אנגריא לבת מ׳.

c. Genesis Rabbah 48 (30D): “Abraham went with them (the angels) to give them an escort” (Gen 18:16). The proverb says, “If you have given food and drink, then also give the escort” אוכלית אשקית לוית. ‖ Mishnah Soṭah 9.6: The elders of that city wash their hands in water at the place where the neck of the calf is broken, saying, “Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes seen it” (Deut 21:7). Could it possibly occur to us that the elders of a court should be shedders of blood? Rather (what Deut 21:7 is supposed to indicate is:) “He did not come into our hands (i.e., to us), that we should have dismissed him without food; neither did we see him, that we should have let him go from us without escort בְּלֹא לְוִיָּה.”—In this regard, it is stated in a baraita in b. Soṭah 46B: R. Meir (ca. 150) said, “One compels one to escort כופין ללויה; for the reward for escorting has no measure; see Judg 1:24ff.: ‘Then the spies saw a man coming out of the city and said to him, “Show us the entrance to the city, and we will show you mercy.” ’ And what mercy did they show him? They smote the whole city with the edge of the sword, but let him and all his family go. Then the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called it Luz; so it is called unto this day.… Is not the inference justified from the lesser to the greater? If this Canaanite, who did not speak with his mouth and did not take a step with his feet, caused salvation for himself and his descendants to the end of all generations, how much more will this be true of the one who gives an escort with his feet!” … R. Joshua b. Levi (ca. 250) said, “Whoever sets out on a journey without an escort, let him occupy himself with the Torah; see Prov 1:9: ‘For a gracious escort are they (the words of the Torah, according to the Midrash) for your head, and a necklace for your neck’ (so the Midrash).” Further, R. Joshua b. Levi said, “Because of the four steps that pharaoh accompanied Abraham (see Gen 12:20), he was permitted to subjugate Abraham’s descendants for 400 years (see Gen 15:13).” R. Judah († 299) said that Rab († 247) said, “If someone accompanies another four cubits to a city, he suffers no harm.” Rabina (I?, † ca. 420) accompanied Raba b. Isaac four cubits to a city; harm came upon the latter, but he was saved from it. In a baraita: the teacher is to accompany the disciple to the city limit, a companion his companion to the Sabbath limit (= 2,000 cubits), for the disciple there is no measure (in this respect) toward the teacher. How far (is the minimum measure)? Rab Sheshet (ca. 260) said, “A parasang. But this has been said only if it is not his most excellent teacher; if it is his most excellent teacher, the measure is three parasangs.” R. Yohanan († 279) said in the name of R. Meir (ca. 150), “Whoever gives no escort and accepts no escort is like one who sheds blood; for if the people of Jericho had accompanied Elisha, he would not have set the bears on the children (see 2 Kgs 2:23f.).”—For more on escorting as a work of love see the excursus “Works of Love.”