Exodus 22:22-24
““You shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If you take advantage of them at all, and they cry at all to me, I will surely hear their cry; and my wrath will grow hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives will be widows, and your children fatherless.””
This passage is from the Book of Exodus, part of a section of laws given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, establishing the covenant and guiding the newly freed Israelites as they form a society. These particular verses emphasize the special vulnerability of widows, orphans, and foreigners within their community.
What does it mean for a society's legal system to define justice not only by explicit laws, but also by the 'cry' of the most vulnerable?