Do Not Wrong the Stranger for You Were Strangers in Egypt

Mekhilta DeRabbi Shimon Ben Yochai 22:20

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"And you shall not wrong a stranger" (Exodus 22:20): [this forbids] two kinds of wronging in one matter — one is wronging in money, and one is wronging in words. "Nor oppress him": [this forbids] two kinds of oppression in one matter — one is oppression in money, and one is oppression in words. "For you were strangers" (Exodus 22:20): He said to them, if you reproach him with being a stranger, the stranger can reproach you in turn, "for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." So it says, "lest I strip her naked and set her forth" (Hosea 2:5).

Themes

EthicsCommandmentsExile

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