Leviticus 19:33-34: “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I the Lord am your God.” I chose this quote because it made the most sense to me but also resonates with me. I interpret this as “strangers” are those who might be less fortunate, or those who we might not understand because we seem them as “different”. Strangers also includes people we might not necessarily understand. We shouldn’t alienate these people or treat them any less than we would anyone else. Rather you should love others as you love yourself - no matter your differences. I can fulfill this mitzvah in my daily life by being kind and accepting to everyone, because you never know what internal struggles people might be going through. This verse definitely contributes to the modern Jewish world in the value of social justice in the reform movement. This line is one of many that guides many Jews to act kindly, and do good for others in the community, not just Jews, but everyone.
I chose this picture because I think it shows how we can welcome people who are different than ourselves and create a beautiful community. The verse I chose from the Tanach talks about how we should love others as we love ourselves, and that we should welcome strangers into our community as just another person. In the picture I chose, the statues of the kids are being welcomed by the real people, and the real people are welcoming the statues as well. Both groups overcome their differences being “strangers” to one another, and join together in one circle, become one group of people, one community.
Peri, this is beautiful and represents great wisdom. You are so right that we often do not know about the internal struggles people are going through. I totally agree that we should strive to be accepting and doing out utmost to welcome the stranger in our midst. Kol Hakavod!
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