Sources from essay by Rabbi Seth M. Limmer in The Social Justice Torah Commentary
One fundamental truth of Parashat Sh'lach L'cha is that the stranger and the citizen should be bound by the same law. From a social perspective, we learn that polities have long been composed of citizens and strangers, of "insiders" and "outsiders." From a social justice perspective, we learn that Judaism demands equity before the law even, or perhaps especially, for those members of any nation who are not official citizens. In order for us to understand the implications of this principle for immigrants and resident aliens, we must first understand the related rights and duties of the citizen. Numbers is intertwines the fates of citizens and strangers.
The Hebrew here translated as "stranger," ger, literally means "sojourner," one not at home among a land's citizens and thus not necessarily protected by its practices. As Jacob Milgrom explains, the Hebrew ger specifies "a man [sic] of another tribe or district who, coming to sojourn in a place where he was not strengthened by the presence of his own kin, put himself under the protection of a clan or of a powerful chief." A stranger is thus reliant upon citizens for certain safeguards. By contrast, an ezrach, or "citizen," is a native member of a society, born into its protections and prohibitions. Those are the protections Numbers 15 commands the citizen to extend to the stranger. But before we can see what this means for the stranger, we need to examine what it means to be a citizen.
-Rabbi Seth M. Limmer
(לו) ...אֲנִי֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־הוֹצֵ֥אתִי אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (לז) וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֤ם אֶת־כׇּל־חֻקֹּתַי֙ וְאֶת־כׇּל־מִשְׁפָּטַ֔י וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָֽה׃ {פ}
(36) ...I יהוה am your God who freed you from the land of Egypt. (37) You shall faithfully observe all My laws and all My rules: I am יהוה.
Judaism has long understood that to be a member of our community is first to be free and then to be as entitled to rights as one is enjoined by responsibilities.
-Rabbi Seth M. Limmer
§ The mishna taught that women and slaves who are not emancipated are exempt from the mitzva of appearance. The Gemara asks: Granted, women are exempt, as we said earlier that this is derived from the phrase: “Your males.” However, with regard to slaves, from where do we derive that they are exempt? Rav Huna said that the verse states: “Before the Lord God” (Exodus 23:17). This indicates that one who has only one Master is obligated, which excludes this slave, who has another master.
Jewish law knows that human behavior needs at times to be limited--we cannot murder, steal, and much more in order to protect the possessions and lives of others.
-Rabbi Seth M. Limmer
To be a citizen is to balance one's freedoms in counterweight to society's needs. In Judaism, the needs of the whole take precedence over the rights of the individual. In today's United States, this very question is up for debate. On the one side are those of libertarian bent, who advocate for the doctrine of personal responsibility. They contend the purpose of America is to guarantee its citizens every "freedom to" without encumbering their behaviors with limiting laws...
-Rabbi Seth M. Limmer
To be a citizen in Jewish law is to be a member of society, bound by laws that serve the purpose of both personal growth and societal success. To be a citizen is to be committed to the existence and evolution of the entire populace, even at the expense of self-restraint...
The heritage that taught the world that every human being is created in the divine image likewise advocates that every human being- regardless of place of origin or current circumstances of living- deserves equal protection under the law.
-Rabbi Seth M. Limmer
Discussion Questions by Ariel Tovlev
Who is a ger, and who is an ezrach? What does Sh’lach L’cha teach us about these two groups?
President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously spoke of the "four freedoms" in his 1941 State of the Union Address, essential in human life: freedom to express ourselves; freedom to worship in our preferred manner; freedom from want; and freedom from fear. How do they relate to individual liberty and societal responsibility? How does Rabbi Limmer connect “freedom to” and “freedom from” to the Israelites’ transition from avadim in Egypt to avadim of God?
If the benefits of societal responsibility are not considered, some may feel that it’s less like a freedom and more like a restriction. What are some examples that illustrate this paradoxical connection between freedom and responsibility? What can we do to balance our personal liberties with our societal responsibilities to improve society for all?