(ד) גֵּר־וְתוֹשָׁ֥ב אָנֹכִ֖י עִמָּכֶ֑ם תְּנ֨וּ לִ֤י אֲחֻזַּת־קֶ֙בֶר֙ עִמָּכֶ֔ם וְאֶקְבְּרָ֥ה מֵתִ֖י מִלְּפָנָֽי׃
(4) “I am a resident alien among you; sell me a burial site among you, that I may remove my dead for burial.”
The expression: “stranger and a resident” or "foreigner and a resident" (ger v'toshav) seems a bit paradoxical (or an oxymoron -- like "The Sounds of Silence" or "sweet sorrow") . What might the expression "ger v'toshav" mean?
(מז) וְכִ֣י תַשִּׂ֗יג יַ֣ד גֵּ֤ר וְתוֹשָׁב֙ עִמָּ֔ךְ וּמָ֥ךְ אָחִ֖יךָ עִמּ֑וֹ וְנִמְכַּ֗ר לְגֵ֤ר תּוֹשָׁב֙ עִמָּ֔ךְ א֥וֹ לְעֵ֖קֶר מִשְׁפַּ֥חַת גֵּֽר׃
(47) If a resident alien among you has prospered, and your kin, being in straits, comes under that one’s authority and is given over to the resident alien among you, or to an offshoot of an alien’s family,
(לה) וְכִֽי־יָמ֣וּךְ אָחִ֔יךָ וּמָ֥טָה יָד֖וֹ עִמָּ֑ךְ וְהֶֽחֱזַ֣קְתָּ בּ֔וֹ גֵּ֧ר וְתוֹשָׁ֛ב וָחַ֖י עִמָּֽךְ׃
(35) If your kin, being in straits, come under your authority, and are held by you as though resident aliens, let them live by your side:
(כג) וְהָאָ֗רֶץ לֹ֤א תִמָּכֵר֙ לִצְמִתֻ֔ת כִּי־לִ֖י הָאָ֑רֶץ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֧ים וְתוֹשָׁבִ֛ים אַתֶּ֖ם עִמָּדִֽי׃
(23) But the land must not be sold beyond reclaim, for the land is Mine; you are but strangers resident with Me.
After learning about the different meanings of these two words, there are two interpretations:
- Shem Olam states that in this case, the focus is that Abraham is a stranger who wishes to eventually become a resident.
- Rashi explains that the difference between the two terms is who is describing him. The people of that land, the B'nei Chet, see Abraham as a stranger, whereas, God, sees Abraham as a resident since the land has been given by God to him. Abraham states these two terms because he is telling the people that he hopes they deal kindly with him as he is a stranger, but also warns them that if they don't, he will take the land that is his according to God.
מיתיבי איזהו גר תושב כל שקיבל עליו בפני ג' חברים שלא לעבוד עבודת כוכבים דברי ר"מ וחכ"א כל שקיבל עליו שבע מצות שקבלו עליהם בני נח אחרים אומרים אלו לא באו לכלל גר תושב אלא איזהו גר תושב זה גר אוכל נבילות שקבל עליו לקיים כל מצות האמורות בתורה חוץ מאיסור נבילות
The Gemara raises an objection from a baraita: Who is a ger toshav? It is anyone who has accepted upon himself before three ḥaverim, i.e., people devoted to the meticulous observance of mitzvot, especially halakhot of ritual purity, teruma, and tithes, not to worship idols. This is the statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say: Anyone who has accepted upon himself observance of the seven mitzvot that the descendants of Noah accepted upon themselves is a ger toshav. Others say: These have not entered the category of ger toshav. Rather, who is a ger toshav? This is a convert who eats unslaughtered animal carcasses, which are not kosher, but who has accepted upon himself to observe all of the mitzvot that are stated in the Torah except for the prohibition against eating unslaughtered carcasses.
(ז) גֵּר תּוֹשָׁב וְהוּא שֶׁקִּבֵּל עָלָיו שֶׁבַע מִצְוֹת כְּמוֹ שֶׁבֵּאַרְנוּ יֵינוֹ אָסוּר בִּשְׁתִיָּה וּמֻתָּר בַּהֲנָיָה. וּמְיַחֲדִין אֶצְלוֹ יַיִן וְאֵין מַפְקִידִין אֶצְלוֹ יַיִן. וְכֵן כָּל עַכּוּ''ם שֶׁאֵינוֹ עוֹבֵד עַכּוּ''ם כְּגוֹן אֵלּוּ הַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִים יֵינָן אָסוּר בִּשְׁתִיָּה וּמֻתָּר בַּהֲנָיָה. וְכֵן הוֹרוּ כָּל הַגְּאוֹנִים. אֲבָל אוֹתָם הָעוֹבְדִים עַכּוּ''ם סְתַם יֵינָם אָסוּר בַּהֲנָיָה:
(7) A Ger Toshav -- He who has accepted the Seven Mitzvot of the sons of Noah, as we have explained -- it is prohibited to drink his wine, but it is permitted to derive benefit from it. And one may leave wine with him briefly, but not for a long time. And so too any Gentile who does not worship the stars and the constellations, such as the Ishmaelites, their wine may not be drunk, but one may derive benefit from it. And such instructed all the Geonim. But those who worship the stars and the constellations, one may not derive benefit from their wine.
Implications for us as "strangers"
In modernity, we Jews are often in the situation of being גר ger (stranger) and תושב toshav (resident/citizen). Where is it that our values align with the larger society? When may (should) our understanding be counter-cultural, or offer an alternative (if minority) perspective?
Implications for our attitudes towards the "stranger"
Rabbi Arik Ascherman
(Israeli Reform Rabbi, Co-founder of "Haqel-Jews and Arabs in Defense of Human Rights," former Director of Rabbis for Human Rights)
In the Torah, time after time we are taught that we must not oppress the non-Jew living among us because we were strangers in the land of Egypt. However, we can already learn sensitivity to those without power or position in our societies from the experience of our foremothers and forefathers in the Book of Genesis. In this week’s Torah portion, Khayei Sarah, Abraham says of himself when purchasing a burial plot for Sarah, “I am a ‘ger v’toshav,'” a resident who is not a part of your society. Abraham is an outsider among the people with whom he lives. Throughout the Genesis, our ancestors must find a way of coexisting with those who have power over them....
In later Jewish tradition, “ger v’toshav,” Abraham’s “I am both an outsider and a resident,” became the halakhic category of “ger toshav,” a resident alien. The “vav (and) was taken out. Sometimes we try to use the halakhic category of ger to help us think about how we are to treat non-Jews today in Israel and in the Occupied Territories. However, many have commented on how insulting and dangerously misleading it is to say that Israel’s minorities and occupied Palestinians are gerim. How dare we look at those who lived here way before the State of Israel as foreigners? When the “vav” is put back in, the connotations become different. With the vav, Abraham is essentially saying, “Yes, I am an outsider. However, I also live in this land, just as you do.”
Let us resolve to put the vav back in to our relationships with non-Jews living together with us.
(לג) וְכִֽי־יָג֧וּר אִתְּךָ֛ גֵּ֖ר בְּאַרְצְכֶ֑ם לֹ֥א תוֹנ֖וּ אֹתֽוֹ׃ (לד) כְּאֶזְרָ֣ח מִכֶּם֩ יִהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֜ם הַגֵּ֣ר ׀ הַגָּ֣ר אִתְּכֶ֗ם וְאָהַבְתָּ֥ לוֹ֙ כָּמ֔וֹךָ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲנִ֖י יהוה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
(33) When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. (34) 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: I am the Eternal your God.
(מט) תּוֹרָ֣ה אַחַ֔ת יִהְיֶ֖ה לָֽאֶזְרָ֑ח וְלַגֵּ֖ר הַגָּ֥ר בְּתוֹכְכֶֽם׃
(49) There shall be one law for the citizen and for the immigrant who dwells among you.
(כ) וְגֵ֥ר לֹא־תוֹנֶ֖ה וְלֹ֣א תִלְחָצֶ֑נּוּ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
(20) You shall not wrong a migrant or oppress him, for you were migrants in the land of Egypt.
(ט) וְגֵ֖ר לֹ֣א תִלְחָ֑ץ וְאַתֶּ֗ם יְדַעְתֶּם֙ אֶת־נֶ֣פֶשׁ הַגֵּ֔ר כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
(9) You shall not oppress a migrant, for you know the feelings of the migrant, having yourselves been migrants in the land of Egypt.
(כב) מִשְׁפַּ֤ט אֶחָד֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם כַּגֵּ֥ר כָּאֶזְרָ֖ח יִהְיֶ֑ה כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יי אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
(22) You shall have one standard for migrant and citizen alike: for I the LORD am your God.
(יד) לֹא־תַעֲשֹׁ֥ק שָׂכִ֖יר עָנִ֣י וְאֶבְי֑וֹן מֵאַחֶ֕יךָ א֧וֹ מִגֵּרְךָ֛ אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּאַרְצְךָ֖ בִּשְׁעָרֶֽיךָ׃
(14) You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a migrant in one of the communities of your land.
(ו) הִנֵּה֙ נְשִׂיאֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אִ֥ישׁ לִזְרֹע֖וֹ הָ֣יוּ בָ֑ךְ לְמַ֖עַן שְׁפָךְ־דָּֽם׃ (ז) אָ֤ב וָאֵם֙ הֵקַ֣לּוּ בָ֔ךְ לַגֵּ֛ר עָשׂ֥וּ בַעֹ֖שֶׁק בְּתוֹכֵ֑ךְ יָת֥וֹם וְאַלְמָנָ֖ה ה֥וֹנוּ בָֽךְ׃
(6) Every one of the princes of Israel in your midst used his strength for the shedding of blood. (7) Fathers and mothers have been humiliated within you; migrants have been cheated in your midst; orphans and widows have been wronged within you.
(י) וְאַלְמָנָ֧ה וְיָת֛וֹם גֵּ֥ר וְעָנִ֖י אַֽל־תַּעֲשֹׁ֑קוּ וְרָעַת֙ אִ֣ישׁ אָחִ֔יו אַֽל־תַּחְשְׁב֖וּ בִּלְבַבְכֶֽם׃
(10) Do not defraud the widow, the orphan, the migrant, and the poor; and do not plot evil against one another.