Day 6 (Part 1): Leviticus 19:33-37 (Study Notes)
Double Parsha: Achrei Mot-Kedoshim
Day 6 (Part 1): Leviticus 19:33-37
(Leviticus 19:33)
Just as Jews are to show reverence to the elderly out of fear and reverence for Hashem, so Jews are not to wrong nor harm the ger (righteous convert) when he or she resides among us. Instead, Jews are to treat the ger as if he or she was/is a citizen of the nation of Israel AND the ger should be loved as a Jew loves themselves BECAUSE we Jews were ger in Egypt AND BECAUSE Hashem is the LORD our God.
Here, ger is often translated to “stranger” but really it refers to a person who converted to Judaism; a person who takes the yoke of Heaven and willingly follows Torah.
Hashem commands respect and love to these individuals as fellow native born Jews because in Hashem’s eyes, that is how He sees them. Too, He is God. He formed every person. In the days of the Assyrian exile 10 tribes of Israel went into exile—many became “lost” to false religious beliefs. But, Hashem promises to find each lost Jew and bring them home. So, it is quite possible that the convert only thinks he or she is converting, but at the soul level he or she is really a Jew from birth.
Further, Hashem says to show such respect and love to the ger because Jews were ger in Egypt—what does this mean?
Yes, Jews were strangers in a foreign land. But in Talmud and Mishnah, many sages say that in Egypt many Hebrews turned their back on Hashem. They converted to Egyptian religions. They were ger to the pagans. Yet, after the Exodus, Hashem forgave that sin and willing accepted Jews as Jews after their teshuvah and reconversion back to Judaism. Too, many Egyptians chose to convert at the Exodus. A vast mixed multitude came out of Egypt. Two of the mothers of the tribes of Israel are Egyptian—the two concubines. So, for many reasons Hashem commands we treat the ger as ourselves, because in many ways we are just like them.
(Leviticus 19:35)
Hashem then commands that we are to have balanced and honest measures and weights, especially in business. This command is directly tied to the command above to treat the ger as we would ourselves. The measure with which we judge the ger should be the same measure with which we judge a fellow native-born Israeli Jew. Just as there is one law for all mankind, so there should be one measure of judgement that tests the scale for how well balanced we are according to Torah.
Literally, this command also connects with the previous commands not to rob, steal, deceive, nor take bribes especially in order to benefit oneself and harm another.
(Leviticus 19:36-37)
After these two laws, Hashem declares that BECAUSE He freed us from Egypt, we should faithfully observe ALL of Hashem’s laws and rules BECAUSE He is the LORD.
Hashem freed us from Egypt specifically so that we could go into the wilderness three days and worship Hashem—this was Moshe Rabbeinu’s specific command to Pharoah at the start. When Hashem finally freed us after the first Pesach, He eventually led us to Mt. Sinai after 50days, where He gave us the Torah.
Most if not all of the laws in Torah related specifically to the things that were done by Egyptians. The abuses are our prohibitions as are all of the pagan worship practices. Our positive commands are things the Egyptians and pagans did not do. So, we are commanded to do them.
Generally, the Laws of Hashem seek to correct to injustices and idolatry set forth in the laws and rules of pagan nations, such as Egypt. To truly be free from Egypt, Hashem had to free us from their laws under which we suffered torture and grave abuses as slaves for 430 years.
Am Yisrael Chai!
Kimberly Davis