Halakhah zu Bereschit 23:4

Scripture records the dialogue between Abraham and the inhabitants of Hebron which preceded purchase of the Cave of Machpelah. Abraham describes his status by declaring, "ger ve-toshav anokhi imakhem—I am a stranger and a resident among you" (Gen. 23:4). The biblical commentaries almost without exception struggle with the obvious contradiction inherent in this terminology. If one is a toshav, one is not a ger. If one is a ger, one is not a toshav If a person is a stranger, he is not a permanent resident; if a person enjoys rights of residency, he is not an alien. One may be either a citizen or a foreigner, a national or a stranger, but a person cannot be both at one and the same time.

Moreover, establishing a sort of Orthodox subculture is absolutely essential for cultural survival. Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik⁷In an essay entitled Confrontation. argues that we must follow the example of Avraham Avinu, who presented himself to his non-Jewish neighbors as a “stranger and a resident” (Bereishit 23:4). We believe that while on one hand we must be “residents” and integrate into the economic, scientific, and certain aspects of the cultural life in our country of residence, we also must be “strangers” and form our own “subculture” in order to survive in a country that is hospitable and inviting. Along with the creation of Orthodox shuls, schools, camps, and youth groups, the world of Jewish music has made an enormous contribution to the creation of this Orthodox subculture.