2020/5780

In this week's Parasha, among the many rules and laws, the Torah records, “Ve’Im Ason Yiheyeh VeNatatah Nefesh Tachat Nafesh; Ayin Tachat Ayin, Shein Tachat Shein, Yad Tachat Yad, Regel Tachat Regel; Keviyah Tachat Keviyah, Petzah Tachat Patzah, Chaburah Tachat Chaburah,” “And if other damage ensues, you shall give a life in place of a life; An eye in place of an eye, a tooth in place of a tooth, a hand in place of a hand, a leg in place of a leg; A burn in place of a burn, a wound in place of a wound, a bruise in place of a bruise” (Shemot 21:23-25).   This is saying that if any damage occurs, the penalty for the accused will be: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, and a bruise for a bruise. One may ask why these specific body parts were listed, but the main question is obvious: why does the Torah repeat itself so many times? Aren’t all of these examples saying the same thing: you shall pay for what you damaged?

This question can be answered by a comment of the Ramban, Shemot 22:20 s.v. Ki Geirim Heyitem Be’Eretz Mitzrayim, on another, seemingly unrelated Pasuk, “VeGair Lo Toneh VeLo Tilachatzenu Ki Geirim Heyitem Be’Eretz Mitrayim,” “And do not wrong or oppress a foreigner living in your land for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Shemot 22:20). The Ramban asks, why does the Torah stress so many times that we should act righteously towards גרים? He answers that Hashem is telling us here that He remembers when we were strangers in Egypt, and He remembers us calling out to Him to save us from the hands of the evil Egyptians. Therefore, to save us, Hashem brought a great many intense plagues which defied nature and destroyed the Mitzrim. Hashem is telling us that, just like the Jewish people, when we were strangers, prayed to Him, so too, Hashem will help the foreigners living in Israel that are being oppressed. Hashem is telling us not to oppress them so that he will not have to do what He did to Egypt. 

This understanding directly connects both sets of Pesukim. In both these Pesukim, Hashem is stressing to the reader that everyone is equal in His eye. Everyone is a child of Hashem. He has no favorites. If you take out an eye, you will pay for an eye. If you take out a leg, you will pay for a leg. As the Gemara, Sanhedrin 74a teaches, everyone is truly equal and there is no one person who is inherently more valuable than another. Whether you have been a part of Klal Yisrael for 20 years or 20 minutes, you are all my children and I will not allow any form of oppression among the Jewish people. The Ramban emphasizes here that under no circumstances can any of us ever think that we are more important than anyone else. In our time, it is very easy to get competitive, if someone has anything better than the thing we have, we rationalize it, and say that we have something better than they do. It is important to remember that in the eyes of Hashem, we are all equal.