ויקרא כה:יח,כג
וַעֲשִׂיתֶם, אֶת-חֻקֹּתַי, וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם--וִישַׁבְתֶּם עַל-הָאָרֶץ, לָבֶטַח. . . וְהָאָרֶץ, לֹא תִמָּכֵר לִצְמִתֻת--כִּי-לִי, הָאָרֶץ: כִּי-גֵרִים וְתוֹשָׁבִים אַתֶּם, עִמָּדִי.
You shall observe my laws and faithfully keep my rules that you may live upon the land [of Israel] in security… But the land must not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. You are foreigners (gerim) and temporary residents with me
Suggested Discussion Questions:
In this text, what do you think it might mean to be a foreigner “with” God? Is this about humans ultimately being placeless or rootless? About our temporal nature? About a sense of alienation from the Divine? Something else? Does this description of human experience resonate with you? Why or why not?
Time Period: Biblical (early ancestors to 165 BCE)