We have been quoting from the Ma'Amar of the Bet Halevi, his essay on Avahat Yisrael. He says,
Regarding a convert, there is an additional commandment- to love the convert. Therefore, when it comes to the convert, we have two positive commandments, as the Rambam writes in Hilchot Deot.
Why does the Torah stress this special love for the convert, and how does it apply to us even when dealing with people who aren’t actual converts?
The Sefer Hinuch, in Mitzvah #431, explains the understanding behind the Mitzvah of loving the convert, and adds an important rule for all mitzvot. God chose the Jewish people to be a holy nation, and He wants to merit them. Therefore, He directs us and commands us to act in ways of compassion and benevolence, and He warns us to crown ourselves with every beautiful character trait, so that we will find favor in the eyes of the people that see us, so they will say about the Jewish people, "Am Hashem Eleh- These are God’s people."
We are the chosen people, and God commands us to act on a higher level, so that we should be recognized as His people.
He says, How sweet it is, to act with kindness and grant people goodness, when they have left their nation, left their family, their father and mother, to come under God’s wing and join our nation. How much do we have to love and take care of them!
That is why God made an additional command, to show how special we are.
When we merit in these good Middot, “God’s goodness will come upon us, and cleave to us. And nothing will prevent goodness from coming upon us. Because goodness spreads on the good, and the opposite on the evil.
So, says the Sefer Hinuch, God commands us to have good Middot, because good Middot bring God’s benevolence upon us.
One example of an outstanding Middah is being nice to a stranger who came to join our people.
Tomorrow, we will continue with the practical applications of this.