Shabbat Kodesh Parashat Mishpatim / Rosh Chodesh
וְגֵ֥ר לֹא־תוֹנֶ֖ה וְלֹ֣א תִלְחָצֶ֑נּוּ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
You shall not wrong or oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Why do we need the reason : “for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” and if we would have not been “strangers in the land of Egypt”, would it have been right to mistreat a Ger, a stranger?
Sometimes we make a little remark without thinking too much and do not believe that it could lead to any serious insult.
The Torah warns us: Look how it started in Egypt. You were strangers, and the Egyptians were slightly worried about you becoming too strong. From this “little” fear, it ended up in a major catastrophe at which we suffered over 200 years. Now, think again – starting to mistreat a stranger might be done without much thought, but may escalate totally out of hand. Therefore, do not ever (start to) mistreat a Ger.
„When the month of Adar arrives we increase our joy! “
Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh tov
Rabbi Chaim Michael Biberfeld