In this weeks Torah portion we read a sequence of three seemingly random and unrelated verses. Firstly it states, ‘If a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. But the stranger who dwells with you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God. ‘
Directly after this commandment the next commandment states: ‘You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measures of length, of weight, or quantity. Just balances, just weights shall you have; I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, ‘ (Leviticus 19:35-36)
Finnaly the Torah adds: ‘Therefore shall you observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them; I am the Lord. ‘
What is the connection between these three disparate ideas _ loving the stranger, having just weights and observing the Mitzvot?
Let us understand the first law. The Torah specifically compares the stranger that sojourns in the Land of Israel to the people of Israel who were strangers in the land of Egypt. This comparison is key in understanding this law.
When the children of Israel were slaves in Egypt, the Egyptians were pagans. In this sense not only were the children of Israel ethnically different, they were also culturally and theologically different. These are the type of strangers that the Torah is talking about, those who are ethnically culturally and theologically different then us, yet dwell amongst us. We must treat them with respect and dignity just as we treat ourselves.
Terrorists such as Hamas and brutal extremists such as ISIS are a direct product of a view that says there can only be one view that must be universally accepted.
Judaism is not a dogmatic religion. Although it is true that the Torah asks a Jew to keep the Sabbath it does not preclude the stranger from not keeping the Sabbath for example. Or although eating pork is deemed spiritually harmful for a Jew it is equally true that the Torah does not ask the non-Jew not to eat a hamburger.
The Torah does not ask the stranger to adopt our narrative at the expense of his or her own – we are not an evangelical religion.
This non dictatorial theology stems from our experience as slaves in Egypt. As strangers in Egypt we bore the brunt of a totalitarian regime that respected nobody but those that were in its image. Thus, at the heart of our religion is the command to respect others who are different than ourselves.
This is what the Torah means when it tells us to love the stranger because, ‘you were strangers in the land of Egypt. ‘ But our obligation to the stranger does not stop there.
Directly after the commandment to love the stranger God commands us to be honest when weighing and measuring merchandise for sale. The great medieval commentator Ibn Ezra says that this commandment is said specifically regarding the stranger.
Some advise vacationers not to buy electrical goods in a foreign country, because foreigners are often the target of fraud. It is wrong to be nice to a “stranger” to their face while simultaneously taking advantage of their vulnerabilities. So immediately after commanding us to love the stranger the Torah says that one should not cheat in measures, weight or quantity, because it is the na¥ve foreigner who usually falls victim to this type of swindling.
And then the Torah says, ‘Therefore you shall observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them; I am the Lord. ‘ Only after we have become a Mentch (Yiddish for a decent human being) and know how to treat others, only after we have learned to leave room for other people, can we move forward and connect to God through carrying out His statutes and Commandments. This is what our sages meant when they said ‘Derech Eretz Kadmah La’Torah, ‘ common decency and respect comes before Torah.
Alternatively one might say that the Torah is telling us here that all of the Mitzvot are designed to teach us how to be a Mentch. One who follows many of the rituals of Judaism, even to distinction, but is not a Mentch has, in many respects, missed the entire point the Torah is trying to convey by giving us the Mitzvot.
We must love others especially if they are different then us. Let us not forget that each person has a unique character and purpose and we cannot know how precious that person is in the eyes of God. We must not take advantage of others’ weaknesses. We must leave room for the view point of others. We must see others as equals and love them just as much as we love ourselves. This is the secret of a peaceful and therefore successful community and by extension a peaceful and successful world.
I pray that May He who Oseh Shalom Bimromav _ makes peace on high, Yaseh Shalom Alainu _ May He make peace for us, Ve-Al Kol Yisrael _ and for all Israel, Ve-Imeru — and let us say.
Amen.