Yesterday we introduced the concept of loving the convert. The Sefer Hinuch, in Mitzvah #431 tells us that this Mitzvah applies in all places, to both men and women. One who transgresses this sin, and pains a convert, or doesn’t put forth the full effort in helping them (whether their property or themselves), or doesn’t respect them because they are converts (who have no help and are outsiders), this person has annulled this positive commandment and his sin is very grave.
He continues: We can learn from this wonderful Mitzvah to have mercy on anybody who is in a city that is not the place of his birth, or the place of his forefathers.
Don’t take advantage of him, because he’s alone and doesn’t have helpers. The Torah tells us to have mercy on people that don’t have help, regardless of whether or not they are converts.
With these character traits, God will have mercy on us, the blessings of heaven will come upon our heads. The proof is that the Torah tells us that we should be nice to. converts, because we were converts in Mitzrayim.
But we weren’t converts, we were strangers.
We are supposed to remember what that feels like- the worry, the angst that a person has when he’s a stranger and doesn’t have a common language.
We went through it, until God took us out.
Therefore, we should have mercy on converts and strangers as well. This is from the Sefer Hinuch, a Rishon, from 800 years ago.
The Sefer Pele Yoetz, written about 200 years ago, by Rav Eliezer Papo, on the topic of converts, brings this down as well, and makes the same point- “converts” doesn’t mean only converts. Should we treat the convert better than a Jewish stranger who’s alone? Is he worse than a convert? Taking care of him is also a special Mitzvah.
The Pele Yoetz says that this Mitzvah is especially pertinent regarding someone Ashkenaz, who is in a Sephardic land, or the opposite. Today it’s not lands, it’s shuls or communities.
He says that we have to respect and treat them properly, and not do like many of the ignorant people who say “Let the Sephardi go to the Sephardi, and the Ashkenazi go to the Ashkenazi!” (to those collecting money), Or say that, “Every species should have mercy on its own species.” He says, Has V’Shalom to speak like that. You’re cursing God!
We are one nation. We have one Father, one Torah, one set of Mitzvot. Just because we speak different languages, are we different people? Is there a difference between a Sephardi and an Ashkenazi?
He says, Heaven forbid to make such a Hillul Hashem. The opposite- if someone is different than you, then you have a greater Mitzvah to love them, based on the fundamental of Ahavat HaGer- Loving the Convert. And the more mercy you have on people, the more God will have mercy on you.
These are the beautiful words of the Pele Yoetz, and they are very practical. People make the mistake of looking funny or cross-eyed at someone who has a different accent, a different way of pronouncing things, a different hat or type of suit- as if we are not all Jews.
But times don’t change and people don’t change. This is something that has to be worked on. B’ezrat Hashem we will.