לֹא־תַעֲשֹׁ֥ק שָׂכִ֖יר עָנִ֣י וְאֶבְי֑וֹן מֵאַחֶ֕יךָ א֧וֹ מִגֵּרְךָ֛ אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּאַרְצְךָ֖ בִּשְׁעָרֶֽיךָ׃

You shall not exploit a poor or indigent hired laborer from your brethren, your people. It is prohibited to exploit any hired laborer, but the Torah refers to a reality in which most hired laborers were poor. The average person would work the land he inherited from his father, and the hired laborers were those who did not have land, or who did not have the means to work their field. Or a hired laborer from your stranger who is in your land within your gates, as he too does not have land of his own. A hired laborer is dependent on his employer. The Torah therefore attempts to prevent employers from exploiting their laborers.

בְּיוֹמוֹ֩ תִתֵּ֨ן שְׂכָר֜וֹ וְֽלֹא־תָב֧וֹא עָלָ֣יו הַשֶּׁ֗מֶשׁ כִּ֤י עָנִי֙ ה֔וּא וְאֵלָ֕יו ה֥וּא נֹשֵׂ֖א אֶת־נַפְשׁ֑וֹ וְלֹֽא־יִקְרָ֤א עָלֶ֙יךָ֙ אֶל־יְהוָ֔ה וְהָיָ֥ה בְךָ֖ חֵֽטְא׃ (ס)

Furthermore, on his day, until the end of his workday, you shall give his wage, and the sun shall not set upon it. He must receive his wage before sunset, as he is poor, and he anticipates it; if his daily wage is his only money, he will need it to buy food. Lest he cry out against you to the Lord if you do not pay him on that same day. Even if you intend to pay him another time, and even if your failure to pay him is unintentional, he is liable to pray against you for causing him misery, and it will be a sin in you.

לֹֽא־יוּמְת֤וּ אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים וּבָנִ֖ים לֹא־יוּמְת֣וּ עַל־אָב֑וֹת אִ֥יש בְּחֶטְא֖וֹ יוּמָֽתוּ׃ (ס)

Fathers shall not be put to death for the sins of sons, and sons shall not be put to death for the sins of fathers. People should not be punished for the sins of their family members; each man shall be put to death only for his own sin.

לֹ֣א תַטֶּ֔ה מִשְׁפַּ֖ט גֵּ֣ר יָת֑וֹם וְלֹ֣א תַחֲבֹ֔ל בֶּ֖גֶד אַלְמָנָֽה׃

You shall not distort the judgment of a stranger or an orphan, who are defenseless and vulnerable. Besides the general obligation of justice, the Torah demands of a judge special care in deciding the case of a weak litigant. And likewise, you shall not take a widow’s garment as collateral, as opposed to other people, from whom it is stated above (verses 12–13) that taking collateral is permitted.

וְזָכַרְתָּ֗ כִּ֣י עֶ֤בֶד הָיִ֙יתָ֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם וַֽיִּפְדְּךָ֛ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ מִשָּׁ֑ם עַל־כֵּ֞ן אָנֹכִ֤י מְצַוְּךָ֙ לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת אֶת־הַדָּבָ֖ר הַזֶּֽה׃ (ס)

You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and

כִּ֣י תִקְצֹר֩ קְצִֽירְךָ֨ בְשָׂדֶ֜ךָ וְשָֽׁכַחְתָּ֧ עֹ֣מֶר בַּשָּׂדֶ֗ה לֹ֤א תָשׁוּב֙ לְקַחְתּ֔וֹ לַגֵּ֛ר לַיָּת֥וֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָ֖ה יִהְיֶ֑ה לְמַ֤עַן יְבָרֶכְךָ֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכֹ֖ל מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָדֶֽיךָ׃

The next three laws apply outside one’s home, in the field, the orchard, and the vineyard, and also require that one refrain from exercising his full legal and property rights when dealing with the poor. When you reap your harvest in your field, and you forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not return to take it; for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow it shall be. Harvesters would tie together sheaves and leave them in the field for collection at the end of the day. If a sheaf was forgotten, you may not return later to take it. Once it is forgotten, leave it for the needy, so that the Lord your God will bless you in all your endeavors. This commandment is performed unintentionally, as you did not intend to leave the sheaf in the field, and your forgetfulness may have been caused by Heaven. However, if you are not eager to retrieve that which you lost, but instead leave your forgotten sheaf for the disadvantaged, you will be blessed, as a blessing is found only in an object that is hidden from the eye. If you are not particular about what you deserve, Heaven will treat you generously as well.

כִּ֤י תַחְבֹּט֙ זֵֽיתְךָ֔ לֹ֥א תְפָאֵ֖ר אַחֲרֶ֑יךָ לַגֵּ֛ר לַיָּת֥וֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָ֖ה יִהְיֶֽה׃ (ס)

A similar law is presented: When you beat your olive tree to knock down the olives, you shall not search the boughs again to find any remaining olives that did not fall but are caught in the leaves or branches, or that are not yet ripe; for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow it shall be. Here, too, you are required to relinquish the small remnants of which you have legal ownership to the needy.

כִּ֤י תִבְצֹר֙ כַּרְמְךָ֔ לֹ֥א תְעוֹלֵ֖ל אַחֲרֶ֑יךָ לַגֵּ֛ר לַיָּת֥וֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָ֖ה יִהְיֶֽה׃

Likewise, when you harvest your vineyard, you shall not glean the small, individual grapes that did not form into clusters behind you after harvesting the complete clusters; rather, for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow it shall be.

וְזָ֣כַרְתָּ֔ כִּי־עֶ֥בֶד הָיִ֖יתָ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם עַל־כֵּ֞ן אָנֹכִ֤י מְצַוְּךָ֙ לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת אֶת־הַדָּבָ֖ר הַזֶּֽה׃ (ס)

The Torah once again stresses: You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt. You understand the desperation of one who is impoverished, and how finding objects of this kind can bring him joy. Therefore I command you to perform this matter. After everything you experienced, you are better able to understand and fulfill this commandment.

כִּֽי־יִהְיֶ֥ה רִיב֙ בֵּ֣ין אֲנָשִׁ֔ים וְנִגְּשׁ֥וּ אֶל־הַמִּשְׁפָּ֖ט וּשְׁפָט֑וּם וְהִצְדִּ֙יקוּ֙ אֶת־הַצַּדִּ֔יק וְהִרְשִׁ֖יעוּ אֶת־הָרָשָֽׁע׃

When there is a quarrel between men, and they approach the court to receive judgment, and they judge them, in cases of both civil and criminal law, and they, the judges, exonerate the righteous, the one who is deemed righteous and wins the case, and they convict the one who is deemed wicked in this case,

וְהָיָ֛ה אִם־בִּ֥ן הַכּ֖וֹת הָרָשָׁ֑ע וְהִפִּיל֤וֹ הַשֹּׁפֵט֙ וְהִכָּ֣הוּ לְפָנָ֔יו כְּדֵ֥י רִשְׁעָת֖וֹ בְּמִסְפָּֽר׃

if the wicked man will be liable for flogging, as not only did he cause harm to his counterpart but he also transgressed a law

אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יַכֶּ֖נּוּ לֹ֣א יֹסִ֑יף פֶּן־יֹסִ֨יף לְהַכֹּת֤וֹ עַל־אֵ֙לֶּה֙ מַכָּ֣ה רַבָּ֔ה וְנִקְלָ֥ה אָחִ֖יךָ לְעֵינֶֽיךָ׃ (ס)

Forty he shall flog him; he shall not continue. A convict is not flogged more than forty lashes for one transgression, lest he continue to flog him beyond these a great blow, and your brother will be degraded before your eyes. Any blow beyond what he deserves disgraces him unnecessarily. Another explanation: If his pain causes him to lose control of his orifices in front of all those present, he will be degraded, and his sentence is lashes, not degradation.

לֹא־תַחְסֹ֥ם שׁ֖וֹר בְּדִישֽׁוֹ׃ (ס)

You shall not muzzle an ox, preventing it from eating grain, in its threshing. Naturally, an ox performing this labor wants to eat from the grain before it. Besides the fact that causing suffering to living creatures is prohibited, the owner of the animal is legally entitled for his animal to enjoy the grain of the field. Therefore, one who prevents the animal from doing so must pay the owner the value of the food he must now give it.

כִּֽי־יֵשְׁב֨וּ אַחִ֜ים יַחְדָּ֗ו וּמֵ֨ת אַחַ֤ד מֵהֶם֙ וּבֵ֣ן אֵֽין־ל֔וֹ לֹֽא־תִהְיֶ֧ה אֵֽשֶׁת־הַמֵּ֛ת הַח֖וּצָה לְאִ֣ישׁ זָ֑ר יְבָמָהּ֙ יָבֹ֣א עָלֶ֔יהָ וּלְקָחָ֥הּ ל֛וֹ לְאִשָּׁ֖ה וְיִבְּמָֽהּ׃

If brothers who are sons of the same father will live together, and one of them dies, and he has no child at the time of his death, the wife of the dead shall not be married outside of the family to a strange man, one who is not related. The Sages derive from the phrase “will live together” that the brothers must be alive at the same time; if one is born after his brother dies, there is no obligation of levirate marriage. Rather, her husband’s brother shall consort with her, and thereby take her as a wife, and perform levirate marriage with her.

וְהָיָ֗ה הַבְּכוֹר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֵּלֵ֔ד יָק֕וּם עַל־שֵׁ֥ם אָחִ֖יו הַמֵּ֑ת וְלֹֽא־יִמָּחֶ֥ה שְׁמ֖וֹ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

It shall be that the firstborn that she will bear will perpetuate the name of his dead brother. Although this literally means that the child should receive the name of the brother who died, the Sages interpret it figuratively, meaning that the firstborn is treated as the child of the brother who died, and not as the child of his biological father. And the purpose of this is that his name will not be expunged from Israel. When a person dies without children, it is as though his name has been erased, as he has no future. Therefore, his brother is commanded to marry his widow, and attempt to have a child with her.

וְאִם־לֹ֤א יַחְפֹּץ֙ הָאִ֔ישׁ לָקַ֖חַת אֶת־יְבִמְתּ֑וֹ וְעָלְתָה֩ יְבִמְתּ֨וֹ הַשַּׁ֜עְרָה אֶל־הַזְּקֵנִ֗ים וְאָֽמְרָה֙ מֵאֵ֨ין יְבָמִ֜י לְהָקִ֨ים לְאָחִ֥יו שֵׁם֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹ֥א אָבָ֖ה יַבְּמִֽי׃

If the man does not wish to take his brother’s widow, his brother’s widow shall go up to the gate, the location of the court, to the elders, the judges, and say to them: My husband’s brother refused to perpetuate a name for his brother in Israel; he is unwilling to perform levirate marriage with me.

וְקָֽרְאוּ־ל֥וֹ זִקְנֵי־עִיר֖וֹ וְדִבְּר֣וּ אֵלָ֑יו וְעָמַ֣ד וְאָמַ֔ר לֹ֥א חָפַ֖צְתִּי לְקַחְתָּֽהּ׃

The elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, they shall advise him based on the circumstances. Sometimes they will try to convince him to perform levirate marriage, but other times the potential marriage may be imprudent, e.g., if there is a large age gap between them. In that case, the elders will advise him not to marry her. And he shall stand, and he shall say: I do not wish to take her.

וְנִגְּשָׁ֨ה יְבִמְתּ֣וֹ אֵלָיו֮ לְעֵינֵ֣י הַזְּקֵנִים֒ וְחָלְצָ֤ה נַעֲלוֹ֙ מֵעַ֣ל רַגְל֔וֹ וְיָרְקָ֖ה בְּפָנָ֑יו וְעָֽנְתָה֙ וְאָ֣מְרָ֔ה כָּ֚כָה יֵעָשֶׂ֣ה לָאִ֔ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יִבְנֶ֖ה אֶת־בֵּ֥ית אָחִֽיו

His brother’s widow shall approach him before the eyes of the elders, and she shall remove his shoe from his foot, and spit on the ground before him, and she shall proclaim and say: So, in this disgraceful manner, shall be done to the man who will not build the house of his brother.

וְנִקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל בֵּ֖ית חֲל֥וּץ הַנָּֽעַל׃ (ס)

His name, the name of his family, shall be called in Israel: The house of one whose shoe was removed. The purpose of this act is to condemn one who refuses to perform an act of kindness for his dead brother. However, it can also be understood as an act of expiation, which allows the man to avoid fulfillment of this commandment in cases where the court advises against doing so.

כִּֽי־יִנָּצ֨וּ אֲנָשִׁ֤ים יַחְדָּו֙ אִ֣ישׁ וְאָחִ֔יו וְקָֽרְבָה֙ אֵ֣שֶׁת הָֽאֶחָ֔ד לְהַצִּ֥יל אֶת־אִישָׁ֖הּ מִיַּ֣ד מַכֵּ֑הוּ וְשָׁלְחָ֣ה יָדָ֔הּ וְהֶחֱזִ֖יקָה בִּמְבֻשָֽׁיו׃

If men fight together one with another, grabbing each other in a way that they cannot be separated, and the wife of the one, afraid that her husband will be overwhelmed by his adversary, approaches to rescue her husband from the hand of the one who is striking him, willing to do whatever she can to save him, and she extends her hand, and grabs his genitals, the genitals of the other man, in order to cause him pain, causing him to release his hold on her husband,

וְקַצֹּתָ֖ה אֶת־כַּפָּ֑הּ לֹ֥א תָח֖וֹס עֵינֶֽךָ׃ (ס)

due to the danger and humiliation involved, you shall sever her hand with which she grabbed him in this manner; your eye shall not pity her. This verse is interpreted by the Sages in two manners. The first interpretation is literal: The verse addresses any bystanders that might be present, and requires them to save the life of the man who was attacked by the woman and her husband, even if it involves physically mutilating the woman in order to release her hold on him. The second interpretation is symbolic: The woman is required to pay restitution after the incident. This is similar to the rabbinic interpretation of the phrase “a hand for a hand.” Accordingly, this commandment addresses the judges, and introduces the concept of restitution for shame, whereby one who shames another by striking him or by any other physical act is required to pay.

לֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֥ה לְךָ֛ בְּכִֽיסְךָ֖ אֶ֣בֶן וָאָ֑בֶן גְּדוֹלָ֖ה וּקְטַנָּֽה׃ (ס)

You shall not have in your pouch different weights, a great one to use when buying, and a small one to use when selling, in order to profit from the difference between the weight you use and the actual weight of the item.

לֹא־יִהְיֶ֥ה לְךָ֛ בְּבֵיתְךָ֖ אֵיפָ֣ה וְאֵיפָ֑ה גְּדוֹלָ֖ה וּקְטַנָּֽה׃

Likewise, you shall not have in your house different measures for measuring volume, a great measure for buying and a small one for selling. Even if it is not your intention to use them for deceit, do not own two different-sized measures for any purpose, as merely keeping them in your possession might tempt you to use them deceitfully.

אֶ֣בֶן שְׁלֵמָ֤ה וָצֶ֙דֶק֙ יִֽהְיֶה־לָּ֔ךְ אֵיפָ֧ה שְׁלֵמָ֛ה וָצֶ֖דֶק יִֽהְיֶה־לָּ֑ךְ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יַאֲרִ֣יכוּ יָמֶ֔יךָ עַ֚ל הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃

Rather, you shall have a whole and just weight; you shall have a whole and just measure, so that your days will be extended on the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

כִּ֧י תוֹעֲבַ֛ת יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ כָּל־עֹ֣שֵׂה אֵ֑לֶּה כֹּ֖ל עֹ֥שֵׂה עָֽוֶל׃ (פ)

As injustice is not merely a social matter, but rather it is an abomination to the Lord your God, all who do these, all who do injustice.

זָכ֕וֹר אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֥ה לְךָ֖ עֲמָלֵ֑ק בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶ֥ם מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃

Remember that which Amalek did to you on the way, upon your exodus from Egypt.

אֲשֶׁ֨ר קָֽרְךָ֜ בַּדֶּ֗רֶךְ וַיְזַנֵּ֤ב בְּךָ֙ כָּל־הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִ֣ים אַֽחַרֶ֔יךָ וְאַתָּ֖ה עָיֵ֣ף וְיָגֵ֑עַ וְלֹ֥א יָרֵ֖א אֱלֹהִֽים׃

Amalek was a small nation, and did not engage in all-out war against Israel. Rather, what occurred was that he encountered you on the way, and he attacked from behind you all the stragglers behind you, the weak who walked slowly and with difficulty, when you, the children of Israel, were faint and weary from the years of slavery in Egypt and from traveling in the wilderness, and he did not fear God . Alternatively, and you were not God-fearing, and therefore the weak of the nation were killed in the battle.

וְהָיָ֡ה בְּהָנִ֣יחַ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֣יךָ ׀ לְ֠ךָ מִכָּל־אֹ֨יְבֶ֜יךָ מִסָּבִ֗יב בָּאָ֙רֶץ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יְהוָֽה־אֱ֠לֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵ֨ן לְךָ֤ נַחֲלָה֙ לְרִשְׁתָּ֔הּ תִּמְחֶה֙ אֶת־זֵ֣כֶר עֲמָלֵ֔ק מִתַּ֖חַת הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם לֹ֖א תִּשְׁכָּֽח׃ (פ)

Since Amalek initiated this attack motivated by pure wickedness, without any provocation on the part of Israel and with no rational reason, it shall be when the Lord your God gives you rest from all your surrounding enemies, in the land that the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance to take possession of it, you shall expunge the memory of Amalek from under the heavens, wherever it exists. You shall not forget, so that Amalek will not threaten you again, and also in order to exact revenge against them, as they were the first enemy of Israel whose hatred was ideological.