דברים, פרק י׳, פסוק י״ט

The expectation to love the stranger and the outsider stands as a profound moral peak, turning the historical memory of slavery in Egypt into an ethical compass. By looking back at their national past, the Israelites are expected to draw a deep well of empathy for the weak. There are several reasons for this special duty. First, a stranger is inherently vulnerable, lacking the family and social support networks needed to defend themselves in courts and society [רלב״ג]. Furthermore, loving the stranger is an act of imitating God, who treated the Israelites with kindness when they were vulnerable foreigners. This approach highlights that pure humanity stands higher than a person's origin or wealth, an equality that defines the Israelites as God's people [מלבי״ם, רש״ר הירש, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The historical memory is meant to spark direct empathy, as the Israelites know exactly how it feels to be exiled, foreign, and enslaved [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. In this historical context, their time in Egypt was not as religious converts, but simply as foreign residents living in another land [נתינה לגר]. Moreover, the demand here is not merely for practical acts of charity, but for a deep, conceptual love rooted in the mind and heart [העמק דבר].

Commentators explore the underlying logic of using the past in Egypt as the exact reason to love and benefit the stranger. The primary approach among commentators is that this command carries a hidden warning against verbally wronging a stranger or mocking their origins. The reminder of Egypt serves a specific purpose: one should not remind a stranger of their lowly background, because a person should never point out a flaw in someone else that they themselves possess [רש״י, רמב״ן, מזרחי, שפתי חכמים, גור אריה].

Taking a different path, another perspective views this love as a demand for patience rather than just a warning against insults. A stranger might sometimes be difficult or demanding. The expectation is to love them and tolerate these difficulties with patience, remembering that the Israelites themselves were difficult and demanding during their time in Egypt [משכיל לדוד]. From yet another angle, this memory serves as a warning to the wealthy and established members of society against arrogance. Just as the Israelites were once lowly in Egypt but grew into a great nation, one can never know what immense power and influence might eventually arise from a humble stranger and their future descendants [העמק דבר].

Finally, this shared history can be seen as a broader call for love and compassion among the Israelites themselves. Naturally, people who share a common fate tend to care for one another. By reminding the nation that they were all strangers in Egypt together, they are urged to love and have mercy on each other, bound by the deep partnership of those who have collectively experienced vulnerability and alienation [בכור שור].