From: office@etzion.org.il
To: Yhe-intparsha@vbm-torah.org
Subject: PARASHAT EKEV
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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PARASHAT EKEV
Love Thy Stranger
By Rav Zvi Shimon
In this week's Torah reading we are commanded:
"For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of
lords, the great, the mighty and the awesome God,
who shows no favor and takes no bribe, but upholds
the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and
loves the stranger, providing him with food and
clothing. You too must love the stranger, for you
were strangers in the land of Egypt." (Deuteronomy
10:17-19)
According to our Sages, the stranger referred to in
these verses is the proselyte who converts and comes to
live amongst the people of Israel. We are commanded to
love the proselyte. This commandment overlaps with the
general commandment of loving thy neighbor: "Love your
neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). Although the
proselyte also comes under the category of 'your
neighbor' who you must love, the Torah nevertheless
commands to love him separately.
The Torah not only commands, as a positive
injunction, to love the stranger; it also warns, in a
prohibitive commandment, not to maltreat him: "You shall
not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were
strangers in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 22:20). The same
justification "for you were strangers in the land of
Egypt" used in the positive commandment to love the
stranger is used in the prohibition of maltreating him.
Interestingly, the prohibition of wronging a stranger
also overlaps with the general prohibition of wrongdoing
another person: "Do not wrong one another, but fear your
God" (Leviticus 25:17).
This overlap of commandments is noted by the
enumerators of the commandments of the Torah, among them,
the Sefer Ha-Chinukh (who lists and elaborates the 613
commandments, anonymous author, Spain, 13th century):
"Even though he is included in the commandment
about Israelites, regarding whom it is stated,
'But you shall love your neighbor' (Leviticus
19:18), since a righteous convert is clearly
included in the category of 'your neighbor,' the
Eternal God gave us an additional precept about
him specifically in regard to affection for him.
The matter is the same in regard to the restraint
against cheating him: Even though he is included in
the scope of the admonition, 'And you shall not
wrong one another' (Leviticus (25:17), Scripture
gave us another prohibition about it specifically
concerning him, by stating, 'And a 'stranger' you
shall not wrong' (Exodus 22:20). It was then taught
in the Talmud that a person who treats a convert ill
transgresses both the injunction, 'You shall not
wrong one another' etc., and the admonition, 'A
stranger you shall not wrong.' Likewise, then
[here] one would disobey the precept 'And you shall
love your neighbor,' and the precept 'You shall love
the stranger.'"
The Sefer Ha-chinukh notes that one who transgresses
any of the two commandments relating to the proselyte
actually transgresses two commandments, the specific
commandment relating to the stranger and the parallel
general commandment relating to all people. Although the
Sefer Ha-chinukh marks this peculiarity, he does not
explain the reason for it. Why are there distinct
commandments in relation to the stranger when he is
anyway included in the general parallel commandments?
Why did the Torah see fit to command separately in
relation to the treatment of the proselyte?
I. The Vulnerable Stranger
Our Sages emphasize the vulnerability of the
stranger due to his past, his life prior to converting to
Judaism:
"If a man was a penitent, one must not say to him,
'Remember your former deeds.' If he was a son of
proselytes one must not taunt him, 'Remember the
deeds of your ancestors,' because it is written,
(Exodus 22:20) 'You shall not wrong a stranger nor
oppress him.'" (Mishna, Bava Metzia 4:10)
It is easy to denigrate proselytes. People can
always belittle them on account of their sinful past.
This disadvantage of the proselyte gives rise to the need
for special commandments directed exclusively in relation
to him. The Torah prohibits reminding the proselyte of
his past and of relating to him differently on account of
it. Our Sages continue this line of interpretation in
the rationale offered by the Torah for the proselyte
commandments:
"What is the meaning of the verse 'You shall not
wrong a stranger nor oppress him for you were
strangers in the land of Egypt' (Exodus 22:20)?
It has been taught: Rabbi Nathan said: Do not
taunt your neighbor with the blemish you yourself
have." (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 59b)
The Torah's rationale for the proselyte commandments
is: "for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." How
does Israelite history connect to loving and not wronging
the proselyte? Our Sages explain that Israel has the
very same 'blemish' as the proselyte; they, too, were
strangers in a foreign land. Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo ben
Yitzchak, France, 1040-1105) elaborates this point as
follows:
"'For you were strangers' (Exodus 22:20) - If you
hurt him, he too is able to hurt you and to say to
you: You are also descended from strangers."
The proselyte can denigrate the Israelites in the
very same manner that he is denigrated. The necessity
for a special commandment relating to the proselyte rests
in his vulnerability due to his problematic past. The
rationale for the commandments relating to the stranger
is that the Israelites have a similar history which makes
them just as vulnerable.
A diametrically opposite explanation for the Torah's
distinct emphasis on the proselyte is raised by a
different source of our Sages:
"It has been taught: Rabbi Eliezer the Great said,
Why did the Torah warn against [wrongdoing] the
proselyte in thirty-six, or as others say, in
forty-six, places? Because he has a strong
inclination to evil." (Babylonian Talmud, Bava
Metzia 59b)
Why is there such a concentration on the proselyte?
Rabbi Eliezer the Great answers that the Torah is not so
concerned with the proselyte's past as he is with his
future. If the proselyte is maltreated there is a strong
likelihood of his leaving the Israelite community and
reverting to his previous way of life. His abandonment
of Judaism might lead to his total deterioration and has
potential for a terrible desecration of God's name. The
proselyte may become disillusioned with Judaism and
completely reject it. In light of the sensitivity and
precariousness of the proselyte's situation, the Torah
adds specific commandments relating to him.
The explanations offered so far for the Torah's
specific commandments in relation to the treatment of the
proselyte concentrated on dangers stemming from either
the proselyte's past or from his future. However, the
majority of the commentators focused on dangers rooted in
the stranger's PRESENT position in the community.
A clue to the status of the stranger in biblical
times is the coupling, throughout Scripture, of the
stranger with the fatherless and the widow. The Torah
continually exhorts to look out for the needs of these
unfortunates and warns against taking advantage of them:
"When you reap the harvest in your field and
overlook a sheaf in the field, do not turn back to
get it; it shall go to the STRANGER, the
FATHERLESS and the WIDOW." (Deuteronomy 24:19; see
also ibid. 24:20-22; 26:12)
"Cursed be he who subverts the rights of the
STRANGER, the FATHERLESS and the WIDOW." (ibid.
27:19; see also 24:17,18)
The stranger, usually poor and helpless, was easy
prey for sinister people looking to profit by taking
advantage of the weak. God commands the Israelites to
help the weaker segments of the society and warns them to
beware of harming them.
The vulnerability of the orphan and of the widow is
obvious. Why is the stranger placed in the same lot?
The Ibn Ezra (Rabbi Avraham ben Ezra, Spain, 1092-1167)
comments:
"The reason for the prohibition 'You shall not
wrong a stranger' (Exodus 22:20)... is that he has
no family roots." (Ibn Ezra's short commentary to
Exodus 22:20)
Just as the orphan and widow lack family structure
and suppo so too with the stranger; he left his family to
join the people of Israel and, therefore, has no family
to assist him in times of need. The people of Israel are
commanded to be sympathetic to the difficult conditions
of those without a family. The community must help fill
in the gap in these individuals' lives and provide them
with any necessary assistance.
Rabbeinu Bechayei (Rabbi Bechayei ben Asher, Spain,
end of 13th beginning of 14th century) further
elaborates:
"In several places in the Torah does God warn
regarding the [treatment of] strangers, because
the stranger finds himself alone in a foreign
land."
The stranger is not only uprooted from his family;
he has no social framework at all. He is a complete
loaner with no family or friends. He knows no one!
The Chizkuni (Rabbi Chizkiya ben Manoach, France,
mid-thirteenth century) highlights a different
vulnerability of the stranger:
"Since they [the strangers] do not know anything
about the ways of the land, and it is therefore
easy to deceive them, the Torah warned about their
treatment." (Exodus 22:20)
According to the Chizkuni, it is not the
lonesomeness and lack of family or social framework which
make the stranger vulnerable. Rather, it is his
unfamiliarity with the norms and customs of his new land
and people. Foreigners are easy prey for the seasoned
veterans. God prohibits taking advantage of the
stranger's unacquaintedness with his new society.
The Sefer Ha-chinukh expands this prohibition beyond
the proselyte:
"It is for us to learn from this precious
commandment to take pity on any man who is in a
town or city that is not his native ground and
site of the family of his fathers. Let us not
maltreat him in any way, finding him alone, with
those who would aid him quite far from him - just
as we see that the Torah adjures us to have
compassion on anyone who needs help. With these
qualities we will merit to be treated with
compassion by the Eternal Lord, Be He blessed."
(Ibid.)
It is not only the proselyte who must be treated
benevolently. It is forbidden to take advantage of the
unfamiliarity of any and all foreigners. All newcomers
must be treated with compassion and consideration.
According to this line of interpretation, how are we
to understand the rationale "for you were strangers in
the land of Egypt" (Leviticus 19:32-34) offered by the
Torah for the commandments directed towards the stranger?
According to the Ibn Ezra, the clause "for you were
strangers in the land of Egypt" obliges us to remember
what it was like when we were strangers, thereby enabling
us to empathize with the stranger in our midst. In
contrast to Rashi, cited above, who viewed Israel's
experience as strangers in Egypt as a weakness, a blemish
which could be used against them by the stranger himself,
the Ibn Ezra, considers the experience positively; it is
our past personal experience as a nation that implores
and enables us to identify and empathize with the
stranger's position.
The Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, Spain, 1194-
1274) offers a totally different explanation to the
rationale "for you were strangers in the land of Egypt:"
"There is no reason why all strangers [from
countries outside the land of Egypt] should be
included here because of our having been strangers
in the land of Egypt! And there is no reason why
they be assured for ever against being wronged or
oppressed because we were once strangers there!
... The correct interpretation appears to me to be
that He is saying: Do not wrong a stranger or
oppress him, thinking as you might that none can
deliver him out of your hand; for you know that
you were strangers in the land of Egypt and I saw
the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppressed
you, and I avenged your cause on them, because I
behold the tears of such who are oppressed and
have no comforter, and I deliver each one from him
that is too strong for him. Likewise you shall
not afflict the widow and the fatherless child,
for I will hear their cry, for all these people do
not rely upon themselves but trust in Me."
Our personal experience as strangers in Egypt is not
aimed at facilitating our ability to empathize with the
proselyte but rather is a warning of the consequences of
failing to do so. The Egyptians paid a very heavy price
for oppressing the strangers in their land. God does not
tolerate the maltreatment of the stranger. Failure to
adhere to the commandments relating to the stranger will
result in harsh retribution similar to that suffered by
the Egyptians.
II. The Righteous Stranger
So far we have attempted to understand why the Torah
mentions the stranger in tandem with the orphan and
widow. We suggested that the common denominator between
these individuals is vulnerability and analyzed the
different understandings of the vulnerability of the
stranger. However, Scripture reveals a different aspect
to the stranger:
"You shall rise before the aged and show deference
to the old; you shall fear your God: I am the
Lord. When a stranger resides with you in your
land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who
resides with you shall be to you as one of your
citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you
were strangers in the land of Egypt." (Leviticus
19:32-34)
In the book of Leviticus, the commandment regarding
the treatment of the stranger immediately follows the
commandment of respecting the aged and the wise. This
juxtaposition of commandments differs drastically from
the previously examined connection between the stranger,
orphan and widow. The placing of the stranger adjacent
to the aged and wise deserving of respect no longer
presents an image of vulnerability and weakness but
rather of prominence and import. According to the
juxtaposition of commandments in Leviticus, the stranger
is not one in need of charity and compassion, but rather
is deserving of respect and admiration. This laudatory
view of the stranger is not unique to the Torah. It
exists within the daily prayer service. The thirteenth
blessing of the 'amida' prayer, a blessing for the
righteous, reads:
"May your compassion, Lord our God, be bestowed
over the righteous, the pious, the leaders of your
people, the remnant of their scribes, the TRUE
PROSELYTE and towards us." (Daily prayers, the
'Amida,' 13th blessing)
The compilers of the prayers saw fit to mention the
proselyte amongst the most righteous and holy. What
makes this new member of the faith worthy of such
honorable mention? Why should a convert be held in such
high esteem?
An inspiring and beautiful homiletic commentary of
the Sages may provide us with an answer:
"'[The stranger] shall be to you as one of your
citizens' (Leviticus 19:34) - Rabbi Alexandri
said: How beloved is the stranger in the eyes of
the Lord, who commanded regarding them in forty-
eight instances. [The stranger] is like a deer
that joins a shepherd's flock and is favorable in
his eyes. He says, 'In this one I have not
invested from its birth but it joined my sheep [on
its own], and therefore I love it.' Such are the
righteous proselytes. God said: Since he came
under my wing, 'he shall be to you as one of your
citizens.'" (Midrash Ha-chadash on Leviticus,
cited in Torah Sheleima)
The merit of the proselyte lies in his joining the
people and the faith of Israel out of his own free will.
He is like a wild deer who has roamed free all his life
and then taken upon himself the duties and
responsibilities of God's herd. The voluntary choice to
worship God elevates the proselyte to the level of the
most righteous.
The Torah commands to "love the stranger, for you
were strangers in the land of Egypt." Just as God loves
Israel and redeemed them from bondage in Egypt where they
were strangers, so too must love be bestowed upon
strangers who join the faith. This commandment is one of
emulating God's relation to his "chosen strangers."
The opposing portrayals of the stranger,
vulnerability versus spiritual prominence, are not
contradictory. They may reflect different types of
proselytes or different traits inherent to the proselyte.
In fact, the opposing portrayals of the stranger may
explain the exof both a positive and negative commandment
in relation to the stranger. The prohibition of wronging
the stranger protects him from abuse and manipulation
which may result from the vulnerability of being an
outsider. The obligation to love the stranger stems from
his elevated spiritual status resulting from his
voluntary attachment to the Jewish people.
III. The Equal Stranger
In addition to vulnerability and righteousness, the
Torah intimates an additional reason for the existence of
specific commandments devoted to the treatment of the
stranger. The proselyte is often mentioned adjacent to
exhortations regarding justice in the legal system. For
example:
"You shall not subvert the rights of your needy in
their disputes. Keep far from a false charge ...
Do not take bribes, for bribes blind the clear-
sighted and upset the pleas of those who are in
the right. You shall not oppress a STRANGER ..."
(Exodus 23:6-9, see also Leviticus 19:33-36)
There is deep concern that the status of the
stranger may influence the passing of judgement.
Regarding the stranger as inferior leads to injustice.
The Torah emphasizes the absolute necessity that all
people be treated equally before the law. Equality is
the foundation of justice. This is formulated in the
Torah as follows:
"There shall be one law for you and for the
resident stranger; it shall be a law for all time
throughout the ages. You and the stranger shall
be alike before the Lord." (Numbers 15:15)
There is equality before the judge and before God,
in the court and in the temple of worship. Equality is
the basis for both civil and religious order.
Rabbi S. R. Hirsch (Germany, nineteenth century)
reaches a similar conclusion in his analysis of the
following verses:
"He that sacrifices to any god other than the Lord
shall be destroyed. You shall not wrong a stranger
or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land
of Egypt." (Exodus 22:19,20)
How are these two verses linked? What connects the
prohibition of worshiping other gods to the treatment of
the stranger? Rabbi Hirsch explains:
"You shall not wrong a stranger - is in close
connection with the preceding verse. There we
were told that even a native-born Jew of the
purest descent loses his right of existence in the
Jewish Community the moment he departs in the
least degree from the purity of the basic
principle of the Jewish conception of God. And in
contrast, a heathen born and bred, as soon as he
attaches himself to Judaism by simply
acknowledging the Jewish principle of the
conception of God, can demand the fullest equality
and the full equal rights in Law with any Jew. By
the juxtaposition of these two verses, the great,
oft-repeated in the Torah, basic law is laid down,
that it is not race, not descent, not birth or
country or property, altogether nothing external
or due to chance, but simply and purely the inner
spiritual and moral worth of a human being, which
gives him all the rights of a man and of a
citizen. This basic principle is further ensured
against neglect by the additional motive 'for you
were strangers in the land of Egypt.' Here it
says simply and absolutely 'for you were strangers
in the land of Egypt,' your whole misfortune in
Egypt was that you were 'foreigners,' 'aliens'
there. As such, according to the views of other
nations, you had no RIGHT to be there, had no
claim to rights of settlement, home or property.
Accordingly, you had no equal rights in appeal
against unfair or unjust treatment. As aliens you
were without any rights in Egypt, out of that grew
all your slavery and wretchedness. Therefore
beware, so runs the warning, form making rights in
your own State conditional on anything other than
on that simple humanity which every human being as
such bears within him. With any limitation of
these human rights the gate is opened to the whole
horror of Egyptian mishandling of human beings."
The equality accorded to the proselyte is
demonstrated in a brilliant response of the Rambam (Rabbi
Moshe ben Maimon, Egypt, 1138-1204) to Ovadiah the
convert. The proselyte Ovadiah asks whether he may use
the same formulation of prayer pronounced by all
Israelites; may he relate to the Hebrew patriarchs as his
own. Is Abraham his father? Does thanking God for
taking us out of Egypt include gratitude for his own
personal deliverance? After all, his ancestors were not
among those who toiled in mud and mire to build the
pyramids for Pharaoh?
The Rambam responds to the proselyte's question as
follows:
"I received the question of the wise scholar
Ovadiah, the proselyte. You ask as to whether
you, being a proselyte, should utter the prayers:
'Our God and God of OUR FATHERS, Who has separated
US from the nations; Who has brought US out of
Egypt.'
Pronounce all prayers as they are written and do
not change anything. Your prayer and blessing
should be the same as that of any other Israelite,
regardless of whether you pray in private or
conduct the service. The explanation is as
follows: Abraham our Father taught mankind the
true belief and the Unity of God, repudiating
idolatry; through him many of his own household
and also others were guided to keep the way of the
Lord to do righteousness and justice' (Genesis
18:19). Thus, he who becomes a proselyte, and he
who confesses the unity of God, as taught in the
Torah, is a disciple of Abraham our Father. Such
persons are of his household. Just as Abraham
influenced his contemporaries through his word and
teaching, so too does he lead to belief all the
future generations through the testament he gave
to his children and to his household. In this
sense Abraham is the father both of his
descendants who follow his ways and of his
disciples and all the proselytes.
You should therefore pray: 'Our God and the God of
our fathers,' for Abraham is also YOUR father. In
no respect is there a difference between us and
you. And certainly you should say: 'Who has given
unto US the Law,' because the Law was given to us
and to the proselytes alike, as it is said: 'As
for the congregation, there shall be one statute
both for you and for the stranger who lives with
you; as you are, so shall the stranger be before
the Lord" One law and one ordinance shall be both
for you and for the stranger that lives with you"
(Numbers 15:16-17). Keep in mind, that most of
our ancestors who left Egypt were idol
worshippers; they mingled with the Egyptian
heathens and imitated their ways, until God sent
Moses our Teacher, the master of all the prophets.
He separated us from these nations, initiated us
into the belief in God, us and all the proselytes,
and gave us one Law.
Do not think little of your origin: We are
descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but your
descent is from the Creator, for in the words of
Isaiah: 'One shall say: I am the Lord's; and
another shall call himself by the name of Jacob'
(Isaiah 44:5)."
The criteria for determining whether one is a
descendant of Abraham is not biological but rather an
issue of faith. Abraham spread his belief by opening his
tent to all who were prepared to enter and learn. Those
who accepted his teachings were considered part of
Abraham's household. In this tradition, all who accept
the teachings of Judaism are considered descendants of
Abraham.
The Rambam goes one step further. Even the
Israelites who left Egypt were, in some manner,
proselytes themselves. While in Egypt, the Israelites
worshipped idols. It was Moses who brought them back
into the monotheistic faith and, as it were "converted"
them. Thus, the Jewish nation is a nation of proselytes!
Although the Rambam does not explicitly state this,
it would appear that he is offering a novel
interpretation to the rationale "for you were strangers
in the land of Egypt." This clause may be understood to
mean that we must treat the proselyte equally, as a full-
fledged Israelite since, we are, in essence all
proselytes ourselves. This approach explains the overlap
of commandments between the treatment of the stranger and
the treatment of all Israelites. We are commanded to
"Love the stranger" (Deuteronomy 10:19) and to "Love your
neighbor as y (Leviticus 19:18). The Torah warns "You
shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him" (Exodus 22:20)
and also commands "Do not wrong one another" (Leviticus
25:17). The blatant similarity between the commandments
relating to proselytes and those relating to all
Israelites is not coincidental. It teaches us that the
proselyte and Israelite are actually one and the same.
The proselyte is to be treated exactly like all
Israelites. Your stranger is your neighbor. Love thy
stranger!
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