In our
sacred text, we are confronted with one of the most compelling obligations
in all Torah. “You too must befriend the stranger, for you were strangers
in the land of Egypt.” (Deut. 10:19) This command actually appears
thirty-six times, which is not only emphatic but it is a very meaningful number
in our tradition as it stands for “LIFE” times 2!
It
is as if the Text whispers to us that we have a double obligation to never
forget the pain of pour past and to use that knowledge to unlock the chains of
those whom we consider as different, strangers.
That was us! They are our past
and they are our future.
We
hear the command to love the stranger so often and that we can lose sight of
its power. We do so at our peril and diminishment.
A fugitive is one who is running from home,
A vagabond is one who has no home;
A stranger is one away from home,
And a pilgrim is on his way home.
All roads in life lead to the same place. Our task is to make a new home for those who are homeless and seek security, refuge and hope. We, who were once strangers, are obliged to not be indifferent.
A vagabond is one who has no home;
A stranger is one away from home,
And a pilgrim is on his way home.
All roads in life lead to the same place. Our task is to make a new home for those who are homeless and seek security, refuge and hope. We, who were once strangers, are obliged to not be indifferent.
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