Deuteronomy 24:17-22
“You shall not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, nor take a widow’s garment as security; but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and Yahweh your God redeemed you from there. Therefore I command you to do this thing. When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to get it. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow, that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. Therefore I command you to do this thing.”
This passage is from the book of Deuteronomy, a collection of Moses' speeches to the Israelites just before they enter the promised land. It reiterates and expands on laws given earlier, emphasizing justice and care for the vulnerable, reminding the people of their own history as enslaved people.
What responsibility does remembering past hardship place on communities today towards those who are vulnerable?