Thinking Torah Blog

The 2024 World Migration Report reveals a staggering trend: “The total estimated 281 million people living in a country other than their country of birth in 2020 was 128 million more than in 1990 and over three times the estimated number in 1970.” And yet, “The vast majority of people continue to live in the countries where they were born—only one in 30 are migrants.”

Those who have heard me speak on this before know that I see migration as perhaps the most deeply Jewish policy issue in today’s political landscape. I make this claim not lightly, but for reasons rooted in our history and identity. Migration has been woven into the Jewish story from its beginning. Even one of our names in the Torah, Ivri, meaning “one who crosses over,” originates with Abraham’s journey from Mesopotamia to Canaan. For centuries after, we were a people on the move, forced from our ancestral homeland in modern-day Israel.

Jewish tradition uniquely elevates the experience of the migrant, calling for the majority to treat the migrant with kindness. This week’s Torah portion, Vayera, offers a timeless model. Abraham, seated at the entrance of his tent in conversation with God, spots three strangers approaching. Without hesitation, he leaps up, rushes out to greet them, and begs them to rest and refresh in his tent. The Talmud draws a powerful teaching from this act: “Hospitality to guests is greater than welcoming the Divine Presence” (Tractate Shabbat 127a).

This is why I believe migration remains one of the most pressing Jewish issues today. Migration is woven into the Jewish narrative, and the command to care for the stranger/migrant/guest is intrinsic to our tradition. History warns us, too, that when societies demonize immigrants, it often signals a deeper societal illness. We must not turn a blind eye.

Let us remember that we, too, are descendants of wanderers. And like Abraham, may we be quick to rise and open our doors, embodying our tradition’s call to embrace and protect the migrant among us.

P.S. A number of folks attended Shabbat services with our guest speaker last week, Alex Sinclair. If you took one of his books, please remember to pay him for those copies using the slip of paper placed in the book.