The juxtaposition of the laws of Shemittah upon the admonishment not to treat the ger, convert, in a lesser manner than we would treat anyone else is enigmatic. What relationship exists between these two seemingly disparate mitzvos? Furthermore, how is the admonishment concerning the proper treatment of the ger linked to the fact that we were strangers in the Land of Egypt? Had we not once been Egyptian slaves would it in any way diminish the responsibility to act appropriately with the ger?
Horav Avigdor HaLevi Nebentzhal, Shlita, quotes Rashi, who explains, “For you were strangers in the land of Egypt” as a lesson concerning the empathy we must manifest towards the ger. We know what it feels like to be a stranger, to be an outcast, to stand out in a community where everybody is different than we are. It is specifically because of our “acquired” sensitivity, due to our own dismal history in Egypt, that we can relate best to the plight of the ger. The Rosh Yeshivah posits that, in order to maintain the proper attitude towards the ger, one must internalize what it meant to be a stranger in a strange land – Egypt.
Therefore, the Torah juxtaposes the laws of Shemittah which declare the land free to evyonei amecha, the poor of your nation. During the Shemittah year, everybody is considered to be an ani, poor man, since he has had to relinquish his field. Now, the wealthy landowner relinquishes his status. This is taught to us by the laws regarding the ger, to whom we cannot properly relate unless we put ourselves in their shoes by remembering Egypt. Both Shemittah and geirus teach us that true empathy can only be derived when the person actually lives the predicament of the other person.
