Komentarz do Powtórzonego Prawa 10:18

עשה משפט יתום ואלמנה HE EXECUTETH JUDGMENT OF THE FATHERLESS AND THE WIDOW — You have mention of His power (in the preceding verse) and together with His power you find mention of His humility here (“He executeth judgment of the fatherless and the widow”) (Megillah 31a).

לתת להם לחם ושמלה, “to give them bread and clothing.” G’d will provide the basic necessities of life for those who have no one else to look after them.

עושה משפט יתום ואלמנה, “He carries out judgment of orphan and widow.” Even though G’d is so high, exalted, He nevertheless concerns Himself personally with the most lowly one of His creatures. Our sages in Megillah 31 drew our attention to the fact that whenever G’d’s greatness is referred to in either the Torah, the Books of Prophets, or the Scriptures, you find side by side a reference to His “humility,” to the fact that He associates and takes a personal interest in the fates of the most humble. Our verse is one such example. Another example is found in Psalms 68,5 where David exalts G’d’s greatness, following with the words: “He acts as father for the orphans and as judge for the widows. A similar sequence of verses is found in Isaiah 57,15: “For thus said He Who high aloft forever dwells, whose name is holy: ‘I dwell on high in holiness; yet with the contrite and lowly in spirit reviving the spirits of the lowly.’”

This expresses power, etc. I.e., the previous verse, “For Adonoy, your God, is God over judges etc.,” expresses power. Therefore juxtaposed to it is, “Who performs justice for orphan and widow etc.” This is to inform us of His humility, that He performs justice for those who are weak and helpless.

V. 18. עושה משפט וגו׳, der diese seine Menschenachtung eben in der Rechtsvertretung zeigt, die er der verlassenen und gekränkten Waise und Witwe angedeihen lässt, und in der liebenden Fürsorge, die er dem aus der heidnischen Welt zu Ihm und euch eintretenden Fremdling zuwendet, der, verzichtend auf allen bisherigen sozialen und nationalen Zusammenhang, ohne Vergangenheit, ohne זכות אבות, lediglich mit der in ihm wachgewordenen reinen menschenwürdigen Regung, zu Gott in dem Vertrauen sich flüchtet, Gott werde in ihm den Menschen nicht verkennen und seinem Gott zugewandten Menschensehnen die Aufnahme in seine Bundesnähe nicht versagen. Dieses zu Ihm sich flüchtende Menschliche im Menschen liebt Gott und gewährt ihm Boden: "Existenz und bürgerliche Geltung", wie dies in לחם und שמלה seinen Ausdruck findet. So fasst auch Jakob alles von Gott zu erhoffende irdische Glück in "Brot" und "Gewand" zusammen (Bereschit 28, 20).

ואהב גר לתת לו לחם ושמלה AND HE LOVETH THE STRANGER IN GIVING HIM BREAD AND RAIMENT — and this (bread and raiment) is a matter of importance, for the very self of (all the energies of) Jacob, our ancestor, was to pray for this, (Genesis 28:20) “Let Him give me bread to eat and raiment to put on” (Genesis Rabbah 70:5).

And loves the convert. He is involved with the convert, who is alone amongst Yisroel, and requires special providence to find food and clothing, for he has no portion of land as an inheritance.

ואוהב גר, “and Who loves the proselyte;” seeing that G’d loves the convert, we are to love the convert also. We have another verse on the same subject in Leviticus 19,34 where G’d says: “love him as yourself.”

This is a significant matter, etc. I.e., do not think that it is a small matter to provide the convert with bread and a garment. [And do not think] it seems from here that He is incapable of [providing] more, for it is written above, “Who performs justice for orphan and widow,” which expresses power.