{"id":82306,"date":"2025-05-13T08:48:54","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T07:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/?p=82306"},"modified":"2025-05-13T10:34:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T09:34:45","slug":"on-strangers-and-our-duty-to-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/2025\/05\/13\/on-strangers-and-our-duty-to-them\/","title":{"rendered":"On strangers, and our duty to them"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have been looking at the etymology of the word 'stranger'. The context is, I hope, obvious.<\/a><\/p>\n

I started with this:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Then I looked at strange, and got this:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It is easy to see how the word is used to describe a foreigner, or migrant: the alien, the unfamiliar or alien.<\/p>\n

But this ignores another interpretation, which comes from the term 'ger'.<\/p>\n

The St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology<\/a> has this to say on that issue:<\/p>\n

The commandment to protect the\u00a0ger<\/i>, often translated as stranger, is asserted several times in the Torah. The book of Exodus requires the Israelites \u2018not to do wrong to a\u00a0ger<\/i>\u00a0or oppress them\u2019 (22:21). Leviticus teaches that a\u00a0ger<\/i>\u00a0who resides with Israelites shall be treated as an Israelite citizen, and that the people of Israel should have \u2018one standard for\u00a0ger<\/i>\u00a0and citizen alike\u2019 (24:22). But what exactly is a\u00a0ger<\/i>?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The quote from Leviticus<\/a> says this:<\/p>\n

22\u00a0<\/sup>You are to have the same law for the foreigner\u00a0and the native-born.\u00a0I am the\u00a0Lord<\/span> your God.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Other versions<\/a> suggest stranger should be read as 'sojourner'.<\/p>\n

Sojourner means:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A temporary resident, then. Or migrant, perhaps. Quote possible an economic migrant, for how else would;d they sustain themselves?<\/p>\n

As the St Andrew's commentary concludes:<\/p>\n

In conclusion, the concept of\u00a0ger<\/i>\u00a0in the Hebrew Bible and its subsequent development within the Talmud and various interpretations throughout Jewish history reflect the evolving dynamics of inclusivity, identity, and justice. From its origins as a legal category to its symbolic resonance in addressing marginalized individuals and promoting social justice causes, the\u00a0ger<\/i>\u00a0offers a lens through which to understand the values and complexities of the Jewish tradition. As contemporary debates continue to unfold, invoking the figure of the\u00a0ger<\/i>\u00a0challenges us to navigate the intricate interplay between tradition and the evolving needs of a diverse and interconnected world. In striving to embody the Torah\u2019s injunctions of compassion, kindness, and respect for the\u00a0ger<\/i>, Jews today engage in an ongoing conversation that bridges ancient wisdom with the pursuit of justice and humanity in the present and future.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In other words, the ethical response to the stranger is to treat them as an equal, and with compassion and kindness. The obligation is to accommodate.<\/p>\n

The exact opposite of what Starmer is doing, in other words, where he is using the word to divide, to fuel hate, and to discriminate.<\/p>\n

And he lives in a Jewish family.<\/p>\n

\n

Thanks to Andrew Dickie for sending me down this route. I will return to it again later, as there is more to learn. This is a first take.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have been looking at the etymology of the word ‘stranger’. The context is, I hope, obvious. I started with this: Then I looked at
 Read the full article…<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ethics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82306"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82312,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82306\/revisions\/82312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}