Some of the most important words in the Torah are: "You should love the stranger because you were strangers in the land of Egypt." Jews are never to forget the difficult times they have experienced. We are commanded to never close our eyes to others who are in distress.
As Jews we have an obligation to solve the problems of the world Our teachers knew that we alone would never be able to bring about the end of days; yet, they never allowed us to desist from that goal. Poverty is not a condition that can end in a moment, but we must work to end a bit of the anguish that poverty brings.
That we were strangers, slaves, in the land of Egypt has left an indelible mark on the Jewish character. Even as free people, we bear the scar of slavery. We hurt every time that we hear the story of our suffering in Egypt.
We empathize with others who are persecuted, despised, hated, and enslaved wherever they may be. The stories that we hear from Liberia, Afghanistan, and Iraq recall our sufferings, and cause us unceasing pain.
Our people has a culture based upon the fundamental right that every person has a right to certain inalienable rights - the same right that our forefathers included in the Declaration of Independence - Life, Liberty and thePursuit of Happiness.
Deprivation and difficult times have taught us to care about the other person; has tought us to recognize that all of us bleed red; have taught us that every person is born in the image of God.