What Are Our Responsibilities to the Stranger? Introduction

Traditional as well as modern Jewish works have a lot to say about our responsibilities to those who are viewed as outsiders in our society. Tonight's text study will center around five themes that emerge from these texts. As you read through the texts and consider the themes, ask yourself: Which issue resonates most with you? Which sparks your curiosity? You will have the opportunity to delve more deeply into whichever theme you most want to study.

1) Jewish law absolutely forbids the oppression of the stranger, and mandates that they be treated fairly in every possible way.

1) These verses contain a number of mitsvot, or commandments. Some are positive (telling us what to do), while some are negative (telling us what not to do). How many different mitsvot do you see in these verses, and what are they?

2) The Torah provides us with the reasoning behind these laws. What is it? Why are these important things to do? Does this logic resonate with you? Why or why not?

2) Jews are expected to empathize deeply with the stranger, because of our own history. This history allows us to realize what it is to be vulnerable, but also reminds us that everyone is worthy of being saved.

1) What do you think it means that we "know the feelings of the stranger?" What exactly is it that Jews know or have experienced, and how might this translate into our treatment towards others?

2) The Torah includes the prohibition against oppressing the stranger 36 times! What makes strangers so vulnerable, and how might we be expected to prevent their oppression?

3) Some of our most joyful and meaningful moments are considered deficient if they do not include the stranger.

1) In context, this verse describes the celebration of the holiday of Shavuot, but you can think about any festive occasion, Jewish or not, and imagine: How might it change your experience of a celebration to include all of these different categories of people?

2) What do you think is the connection between the commandment to have a very inclusive holiday celebration, and the need to remember that we were once slaves?

4) We must keep the stranger in mind - as well as other vulnerable populations - as we construct the basic expectations of citizenship.

1) What might it look like to have one standard for both stranger and citizen - or to NOT have one standard for all? Can you think of historical or modern examples of laws that distinguish between populations?

2) What do you think is the connection between the commandment to have one standard and the information about God at the end of the verse?

5) People are created in the Divine image, and so we are all expected to imitate the attributes of the Divine.

1) What are we being asked to do in these verses, and why?

2) This is one of the sources that is referenced in texts that speak about the ways in which we might imitate God's attributes. What might taking on these characteristics look like in our lives?