Chayei Sarah 2022
There was a time, recorded in this week’s Torah portion, Chayei Sara, when we were the stranger, the minority, dwelling in the Land of Israel. As Abraham says to Ephron at the beginning of the Torah portion when he buys land to bury Sarah, “I am a stranger and a sojourner among you, give me a burial plot with you so I can bury my dead before me.”
The Ohr Ha’Chayim, Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar (Morocco, 17th Century) comments on this verse:
“Abraham argues his status as a citizen based on the halacha, as Maimonides states (Laws of Ownership and Gifts 3:11), “One may give a gift to a non-Jew who dwells in Israel because you are commanded to support him, as it says in Leviticus (23:4), “If your kin becomes needy and his hand is lowered with you, you shall strengthen him- a stranger and a sojourner- and he shall live with you.” And you must know that our entire Torah is reasonable -specifically in regard to the way we govern the Land (of Israel). As we conduct ourselves well with the foreigner who lives among us, so too, reason obligates all people to conduct themselves humanly with those who live among them and to support anyone who is a stranger or a sojourner, and to provide them with free welfare. Indeed, this is what Abraham is asking (of Ephron), when Abraham says, “I am a stranger and sojourner with you.” Abraham uses both terms, in order to highlight that even though he is a foreigner, nevertheless he is counted as a sojourner (and Ephrone who is in power must support him and act with humanity and compassion toward him).
Our brethren in Israel have elected a government which some predict will enact laws which will negatively impact many people who are non-Jewish citizens of the State of Israel. The Jewish people are stronger and more privileged than we have been in 100 generations. We should keep our eyes on the big picture when we govern and not let fear alone send us running into narrow spaces. We must be a strong nation and protect ourselves, and we also must fulfill the words of the Ohr HaChaim and Maimonides and care well for our brothers, the ger and toshav in our midst, to ensure that they, in the words of the Torah, “live with us.”
