"The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I the Lord am your God."
Kindness is an act that everyone aspires to practice, but it is also something that can be hard to come by. I believe that kindness is one of the most important virtues that a human can have, and I think that Leviticus 19:34 is trying to emphasize that idea. I chose this verse because over the years, I have moved to many places all over the country such as Alabama, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and now Florida, and I have had my fair share of feeling like a stranger in a new land. Moving from place to place has required me to move schools multiple times, which in turn made me leave each group of friends I had made. I first moved when I was 11 from Cape Cod, Massachusetts where I had lived my entire life; my family, my friends I've known since I was 2, and everything that was familiar to me is there. Leaving that was incredibly hard to do, especially because I was on my way to such a strange new place: Alabama. When I first got to Alabama, I did not know what to expect. Would people be nice? Would I fit in? Would school be easy? What if I don't like it? I began the 6th grade at a private school, where the max. number of kids (whom I had never met before) was 16, and I instantly felt different than everyone. Not only was I the only Jew, but I was also the only new person that the class had gotten in 2 years. I was not expecting the of overwhelming feeling of love that I recieved from all my fellow classmates, and all my fears of disliking school and not making any friends were assuaged. I was lucky that I found a tight group of friends in that class of 16 who were some of the best friends I've ever connected with; I still talk to most of them today and I occasionally go and visit Alabama. However, there are always a few bad apples in the bunch. I did experience some scrutiny by some insensitive children who bullied me for being Jewish, and I took that pretty hard. Knowing that kids could be so cruel really opened my eyes to how I could handle bullies and how I could also make sure nobody would feel the same way that I felt, no matter what they were being ridiculed for. Once leaving Alabama, I took all the lessons that I learned in the short year that I lived there and applied them to when I moved to Pennsylvania and Florida. I used both the positive and negative energy to really make an effort to be kind to everyone, no matter the circumstances, and make them feel as welcome as I always hoped to be every time that I moved. That is what I believe God was trying to portray when he explained Leviticus 19:34 to Moses. The feeling of being excluded is an awful feeling that the Jews felt when they were in Egypt, and it is one that God does not want anyone else to feel. This goes hand in hand with the golden rule: "treat others the way that you want to be treated." Treating yourself with kindness important, but treating others with respect is just as noble.
The photo below is of me before my first day of 6th grade in Alabama. Despite my cheery facade, my heart was beating 1million miles an hour and I was completely freaking out on the inside. This was the innocent, sheltered Sylvia that had no idea what to expect from a strange new place. This was the Sylvia that was terrified of change. This was the Sylvia who was not ready to jump into a new school and feel like a stranger. But now, I am the better, more educated Sylvia. Now I am the Sylvia that can adapt to change. Now I am the Sylvia that channels those Jewish values talked about in the Torah and who treats others with kindness.
Me before my 1st day of school in Alabama (2014)
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