You shall not wrong or oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 22:20).
This well-cited verse makes immediate sense – we know better than to mistreat a newcomer or otherwise vulnerable person or group, and we know it not only in our heads but from experience. Such experiences, both personal and handed down through generations, seem to make us especially responsible.
This central and essential Jewish instruction could have been shorter by half. ‘You shall not wrong or oppress a stranger’ could and should certainly be able to stand alone, without mentioning the enslavement of our biblical ancestors. But just as having been mistreated can help us to understand and better protect others, it can also lead to the repetition of mistreatment.
The verse, then, is not only an instruction not to oppress the stranger. Even more, it calls on us to address the ways we have ever been mistreated and to find healing and resolution, so that we ourselves are less and less vulnerable to the temptation to normalize mistreatment of anyone.
Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1-24:18) Torah Reading Feb. 14, 2026
February 18, 2026 by Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller • D'var Torah
You shall not wrong or oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 22:20).
This well-cited verse makes immediate sense – we know better than to mistreat a newcomer or otherwise vulnerable person or group, and we know it not only in our heads but from experience. Such experiences, both personal and handed down through generations, seem to make us especially responsible.
This central and essential Jewish instruction could have been shorter by half. ‘You shall not wrong or oppress a stranger’ could and should certainly be able to stand alone, without mentioning the enslavement of our biblical ancestors. But just as having been mistreated can help us to understand and better protect others, it can also lead to the repetition of mistreatment.
The verse, then, is not only an instruction not to oppress the stranger. Even more, it calls on us to address the ways we have ever been mistreated and to find healing and resolution, so that we ourselves are less and less vulnerable to the temptation to normalize mistreatment of anyone.