Mussar sobre Êxodo 22:20

“A man shall not oppress his countryman” (Leviticus 25:17) - the verse is speaking about verbal oppression, like we discussed above. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Metzia 58b), “[If] one is a penitent, [another] may not say to him, ‘Remember your earlier deeds.’ [If] one is the child of converts, [another] may not say to him, ‘Remember the deeds of your ancestors.’” And that which is stated (Exodus 22:20), “You shall not oppress a stranger or press him,” [is understood as] “You shall not oppress” him verbally; “or press him” with money. And the Torah warned in several places about oppression of the convert, for he forgot his [own] people and the house of his father, and came to seek refuge under the wings of the Divine Presence - like the matter that is stated (Ruth 2:11), “how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth and came to a people you had not known before”; and it is stated (Ruth 2:12), “May the Lord reward your deeds; may you have a full recompense from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have sought refuge!” And there is a [relevant] parable about a gazelle that comes to a flock, and crouches with the sheep there. So the owner of the flock had compassion on it - since it left a broad pasture to stand in a narrow place.

The reason is that the whole tribe of Levi did not share the exile experience properly, because it did not have to perform slave labour. The tribe wished to demonstrate its empathy with the rest of the tribes who were suffering, and they did this by way of the names they gave to their children. For instance, the name גרשון alluded to the fact that they considered themselves as aliens in a land which was not theirs. The name קהת is symbolic of קהות שניהם, that their teeth were on edge in frustration. The name מררי, alluded to the bitterness experienced by their brethren, as we know from Exodus 1,14.

"You shall not deal with him as a creditor does" (Exodus 22:24), means not to cause pain to the borrower. And the lender should even avoid walking by the borrower when he knows that the borrower has no money with which to pay back the loan, (Baba Mezi'a 15) for the lender distresses the borrower with this kind of conduct. And we have been warned to remove from our souls the quality of cruelty, as it is written: "You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child" (Exod. 22:21), and it is written: "And you shall not wrong one another and you shall fear your God" (Lev. 25:17). We are commanded to return to the poor his pledged article as is written: "If you take the garment of the poor in pledge you shall restore it to him before the sun goes down" (Exod. 22:25), as it is said: "And it shall be when he cries unto me that I will hear for I am gracious." And it is said : (Ibid. : 26) "And you shall not wrong nor oppress a stranger."