Parashat Eikev includes a powerful and concise summation of the covenant between God and Israel, in Deuteronomy 10:12-22. It begins with a simple question: “What does the Eternal your God demand of you?” The answer also seems simple, but only at first glance: “Only this: to revere the Eternal your God, to walk only in God’s paths… keeping God’s commandments and laws, which I enjoin upon you today, for your good” (vv. 12-13)
“Only this” is restrictive language, but the requirements are enormous. The verse combines inner qualities, fear and love, with actions, “to walk in God’s paths… keeping God’s commandments and laws.”[1] Therefore, the words of encouragement are important, “for your good.”
After piling on superlatives to establish God’s awesome grandeur, specific details bring God’s goodness down to earth:
(17) God of gods and Lord of lords: the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who shows no favor and takes no bribe, (18) but upholds the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the ger–stranger, providing him with food and clothing. (19) You too must love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (composite translation)
Note the transition between verses 18 and 19. Immediately after describing God as providing the ger with food and clothing, the Torah commands us “love the ger.” The command provides an answer to the question “How does God give food and clothing? Through us. We are to act as God’s agents.[2]
Today, there are many “gerim” strangers living in the State of Israel, people we call “asylum-seekers,”[3] who have fled for their lives from real dangers of violence and famine. True, we cannot always know who is a genuine refugee and who is “just coming along for the ride?” That being the case, I think we ought to act according to the teaching Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz,[4] and act according to the established principle of Jewish law that whenever we have doubt about implementing an explicit command in the written Torah, we must be strict. Therefore, we must widen our concern beyond the “poor of our city,” to love the stranger and help as many as possible.
For donating food to asylum seekers, people in the Kfar Saba are may contact Leni Wesley. For other channels of assistance, see the Zichron Group at Pesia’s Kitchen.
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[1] This point is frequently taught by Rabbi Shai Held, including in his book Judaism Is About Love.
[2] M. Daniel Carroll (Rodas), “Toward a Theology of Immigration in Deuteronomy”
[3] See here for sources supporting this reading.
[4] Founder of the organizations Chuppot and Hashgacha Pratit, which offer Orthodox rabbinic services outside of the Rabbanut. I heard this from him in a class and he encouraged us to share the teaching.
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