Parashat Ki Tavo portrays a binary world: blessing or curse. The verses about the blessing include this exhortation: “And you shall enjoy, together with the Levite and the stranger [ger] in your midst, all the bounty that the Eternal your God has bestowed upon you and your household” (Deut. 26:11). The Etz Hayim commentary notes that the Israelites, who came into Egypt as strangers and were put to work in the fields as oppressed laborers, “now provide generously for the strangers in their land.” The Torah is instructing us that we should relate to the stranger, the “other,” with respect and compassion.
We live in a non-binary world. Good and evil coexist. Our parasha points toward understanding the good as blessings and the bad as curses. The mix of good and evil opens the door to many possible interpretations of this passage.
These days we continually hear news of violent acts committed by Jews against Palestinians in the disputed territories. In one video I saw a young man with a large kippah on his head beating an elderly Palestinian whose leg had been amputated.
I see, but I don’t understand. What is unclear about the Torah’s demand that we treat the stranger humanely?
