Richard S. Rheins

secret matter of the heart[i.e., no other human would really know if he was telling the truth]. That is why it is written,“... You shall revere your God ”[because God knows your every secret]. Thus it is with all matters of the heart,“revere your God ”(Sifra: Behar).

The author of Sefer haHinukh concludes his commentary to this mitzvah by warning us that wealth and poverty are as if on a wheel that turns around(ha-osher ve-ha-anyiut galgal hu she-chozer ba-olam). Whoever is rich today may taste the bitterness of poverty tomorrow. Thus we are taught again and again not to oppress the stranger but to love the vulnerable and always remember that we were once strangers in the land of Egypt .’

In the modern era, the implications are obvious: how we treat the working poor is governed by Torah , by thousands of years of halakhic guidance, and by the highest ethical ideals of our faith. It is incumbent upon us to pay the working poor fairly and on time. It is incumbent upon us to treat the working poor with sensitivity and respect. It is incumbent upon us to find ways to assist the working poor in their heartrending struggle to survive and break the chains of poverty.

Who are the working poor? Most of us do not have to look very far back along our families’ genealogical tree to find loved ones who struggled mightily to overcome poverty. Even in these days of relative plenty, relatives and friends face daunting hardships. The working poor are not strangers. We see in their faces a familiar look. Their faces are mirrors that reflect the difficulties our ancestors and loved ones have endured. Their faces and their expressions should touch our very soul.