CORE SOURCES
Rabbi Joseph Dov Soloveitchik, Festival of Freedom: Essays on Pesach and the Haggadah
The standard [haggadah] text reads, “In each generation, one is duty-bound lirot et atzmo, to consider himself, as if he had been delivered from Egyptian bondage.” Instead of the reflexive verb lirot et atzmo, signifying an inner experience, Maimonides substitutes the verb, l’harot et atzmo, to demonstrate, to behave in a manner manifesting the experience of finding liberty after having been enslaved for a long time.
Rabbi Joshua Maroof, Interview in Moment Magazine
The Torah’s commandments regarding strangers represent nothing more or less than the rigorous application of the principles of universal justice even in the face of nationalistic zeal. Tribal mentalities, familial loyalties and fear of the unfamiliar are not to interfere with our duties to one another as human beings created in the image of God. It is incumbent upon American citizens to disregard artificial distinctions of nationality and ethnicity and to treat immigrants however they define themselves with the respect and consideration to which God entitles all of us.