(כ) וְגֵ֥ר לֹא־תוֹנֶ֖ה וְלֹ֣א תִלְחָצֶ֑נּוּ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
(20) You shall not wrong or oppress a stranger, for you were strangers 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 stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.
(לד) כְּאֶזְרָ֣ח מִכֶּם֩ יִהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֜ם הַגֵּ֣ר ׀ הַגָּ֣ר אִתְּכֶ֗ם וְאָהַבְתָּ֥ לוֹ֙ כָּמ֔וֹךָ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
(34) The strangers who reside with you shall be to you as your citizens; you shall love each one as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I יהוה am your God.
כי גרים הייתם. אִם הוֹנִיתוֹ, אַף הוּא יָכוֹל לְהוֹנוֹתְךָ וְלוֹמַר לְךָ, אַף אַתָּה מִגֵּרִים בָּאתָ, "מוּם שֶׁבְּךָ אַל תֹּאמַר לַחֲבֵרְךָ"; כָּל לְשׁוֹן גֵּר אָדָם שֶׁלֹּא נוֹלַד בְּאוֹתָהּ מְדִינָה, אֶלָּא בָּא מִמְּדִינָה אַחֶרֶת לָגוּר שָׁם:
FOR YE WERE STRANGERS — If you vex him he can vex you also by saying to you: “You also descend from strangers”. Do not reproach thy fellow-man for a fault which is also thine (Mekhilta). Wherever גר occurs in Scriptures it signifies a person who has not been born in that land (where he is living) but has come from another country to sojourn there.
Rashi (1040-1105) explains (in Exodus 22:20) that since the Israelites were once strangers in Egypt, they should empathize with the ger and avoid mistreating them.
(א) וגר. כאשר יקבל הגר שלא לעבוד עבודת כוכבים לא תונהו בארצך. בעבור שיש לך כח רב ממנו. וזכור כי גרים הייתם כמוהו. וכאשר הזכיר הגר שאין לו כח ככה היתום והאלמנה שהם ישראלים ואין להם כח. ואחר שאמר לא תענון לשון רבים. אמר אם תענה. כי כל רואה אדם שהוא מענה יתום ואלמנה ולא יעזרם גם הוא יחשב מענה:
(1) AND A STRANGER. When a stranger commits himself not to worship idols you shall not wrong him in your country because you are more powerful than he is. Remember that you were strangers like him. When Scripture makes mention of the stranger who is powerless, it similarly takes note of the orphan and widow who are powerless Israelites. After saying lo te’annun (ye shall not afflict) (v. 21) which is in the plural, Scripture says im te’anneh (if thou afflict) (v. 22) because whoever sees a person afflicting the orphan and the widow and does not aid them, is also considered an afflicter.
Ibn Ezra (1089–1167) – Ibn Ezra (on Exodus 23:9), you are also the convictor when you oppress.
... וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי כִּי יֹאמַר, לֹא תּוֹנֶה גֵּר וְלֹא תִּלְחָצֶנּוּ וְתַחְשֹׁב שֶׁאֵין לוֹ מַצִּיל מִיָּדְךָ, כִּי אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ שֶׁהֱיִיתֶם גֵּרִים בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וְרָאִיתִי אֶת הַלַּחַץ אֲשֶׁר מִצְרַיִם לֹחֲצִים אֶתְכֶם וְעָשִׂיתִי בָּהֶם נְקָמָה, כִּי אֲנִי רוֹאֶה דִּמְעַת הָעֲשׁוּקִים אֲשֶׁר אֵין לָהֶם מְנַחֵם וּמִיַּד עֹשְׁקֵיהֶם כֹּחַ, וַאֲנִי מַצִּיל כָּל אָדָם מִיַּד חָזָק מִמֶּנּוּ, וְכֵן הָאַלְמָנָה וְהַיָּתוֹם לֹא תְּעַנּוּ כִּי אֶשְׁמַע צַעֲקָתָם, שֶׁכָּל אֵלֶּה אֵינָם בּוֹטְחִים בְּנַפְשָׁם, וְעָלַי יִבְטְחוּ: וּבַפָּסוּק הָאַחֵר הוֹסִיף טַעַם, "וְאַתֶּם יְדַעְתֶּם אֶת נֶפֶשׁ הַגֵּר כִּי גֵרִים הֱיִיתֶם בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם" (שמות כ"ג:ט'). כְּלוֹמַר, יְדַעְתֶּם כִּי כָל גֵּר נַפְשׁוֹ שְׁפָלָה עָלָיו וְהוּא נֶאֱנָח וְצוֹעֵק וְעֵינָיו תָּמִיד אֶל ה׳ וִירַחֵם עָלָיו כַּאֲשֶׁר רִחֵם עֲלֵיכֶם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (שמות ב':כ"ג) "וַיֵּאָנְחוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הָעֲבֹדָה וַיִּצְעָקוּ וַתַּעַל שַׁוְעָתָם אֶל הָאֱלֹקִים מִן הָעֲבֹדָה". כְּלוֹמַר לֹא בִּזְכוּתָם רַק שֶׁרִחֵם עֲלֵיהֶם מִן הָעֲבוֹדָה:
... 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 on the side of their oppressors there is power, 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.” And in another verse He added this reason: for ye know the soul of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. That is to say, you know that every stranger feels depressed, and is always sighing and crying, and his eyes are always directed towards G-d, therefore He will have mercy upon him even as He showed mercy to you, just as it is written, and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto G-d by reason of the bondage, meaning that He had mercy on them not because of their merits, but only an account of the bondage [and likewise He has mercy on all who are oppressed].
Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194–1270) – this commandment has 2 parts:
1. Acknowledge the relative powerlessness of the stranger without family, friends, or community. This relates to their status in their community.
2. There is a psychological vulnerability of being a stranger and the emotional impacts of being a stranger.
(ב) מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי הַמִּצְוָה, מִלְּבַד מָה שֶׁכָּתַבְנוּ, כְּדֵי לָכֹף אֶת יִצְרֵנוּ לְעוֹלָם לְבַל נַעֲשֶׂה כָּל אֲשֶׁר נִמְצָא בְּכֹחֵנוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת לְרָעָה, עַל כֵּן הִזְהִירַתְנוּ בְּזֶה הָאִישׁ שֶׁהוּא בֵּינֵינוּ בְּלִי עוֹזֵר וְסוֹמֵךְ וְיֵשׁ כֹּחַ בְּיַד כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִמֶּנּוּ עִם אוֹהֲבָיו עָלָיו לְבַל נַעֲבִיר עָלָיו אֶת הַדֶּרֶךְ כְּלָל אֲפִלּוּ בִּדְבָרִים כְּאִלּוּ הוּא כְּאֶחָד מִמֶּנּוּ, וּמִתּוֹךְ גְּדָרִים כָּאֵלּוּ נִקְנֶה נֶפֶשׁ יְקָרָה וּמְסֻלְסֶלֶת וּמְעֻטֶּרֶת הַמִּדּוֹת הָרְאוּיָה לְקַבָּלַת הַטּוֹב, וְיִשְׁלַם בָּנוּ חֵפֶץ הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ שֶׁחָפֵץ לְהֵטִיב.
... Aside from what we have [already] written, it is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] in order to permanently train our negative inclination not to do whatever evil is in our power to do. Therefore we are warned regarding this person who is among us without [a full support system], and over whom each and every one of us — with his friends — can exert some power; that we not exclude him from the general [sensitivity that we show to everyone among us]. And through boundaries such as these we will acquire a soul of higher worth — raised-up and crowned with [positive] characteristics and worthy of receiving good. And we will fulfill in ourselves the desire of God, may He be blessed, Who desires to give benefit.
Sefer HaChinuch (13th century, Spain) – not oppressing the stranger teaches us that not only is it wrong to oppress the stranger, but it can negatively impact our own spiritual growth.
Why does Hashem prohibit oppressing the stranger when he could have begun with the mitzvah to love the Stranger? The answer lies in Vayikra 19. Hashem teaches many interpersonal lo ta'ases until verse 18: "VeHavta Ki-reicha Kamocha." In my opinion, one needs to know what one should not do to understand why what one should do. We learn to Love the stranger by knowing what we cannot do, i.e., oppressing them.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: Things to Ponder:
1. Why must we be reminded that we were strangers in Egypt? Indeed, this is the right thing to do anyway.
2. Which of the three reasons mentioned behind the command do you find most convincing? (a) The stranger is weak in society and needs protecting; (b) The stranger is emotionally vulnerable; (c) The command is a warning against arrogance
3. What do you think is the connection between these laws and what it means to be a Jew?
Addendum: The Seven Noachide Laws are universal moral principles derived from the Torah. Found in Genesis 9:1–7 describes God's covenant with Noah and his sons after the Flood. Hashem outlines specific prohibitions and expectations for all of humanity.
- Do Not Worship False Gods (Idolatry)
- Do Not Blaspheme
- Do Not Murder
- Do Not Engage in Sexual Immorality
- Do Not Steal
- Do Not Eat Flesh Taken from a Living Animal
- Establish Courts of Justice