פרשת משפטים
כל אלמנה ויתום לא תענון...כי אם צעק יצעק אלי שמע אשמע צעקתו | שמות כ"ב כ"א
You shall not cause pain to any widow or orphan…for if he shall cry out to Me, I shall surely hear his outcry.
The Torah admonishes us to be extremely careful to avoid aggrieving a widow or orphan.
Rav Yitzchok Volozin zt”l explains that the immediate retribution meted out to an individual who aggrieves a widow or orphan is מדה כנגד מדה (measure for measure). An individual who finds himself in a difficult situation will often initially approach a family member or friend with a request to intercede on their behalf to alleviate the situation rather than first davening to Hashem for a salvation. In this situation, Hashem ‘stands at a distance’ and allows matters to ‘run their natural course’ without directly interceding.
In contradistinction, the widow and orphan who generally have no acquaintances with affluence or power, will instinctively turn to Hashem for their salvation. Hashem therefore promises, because they immediately cry out to me, כי אם צעק יצעק אלי I must, מדה כנגד מדה comply with their prayer and offer my assistance immediately.
About the Author: Rabbi Yisroel Meir Rubinfeld
Rabbi Rubinfeld has been in the field of Torah education for over 3 decades and serves as an Executive School Consultant for Torah Umesorah. He provides an array of services to schools across North America, including teacher and principal mentorship, school and curricula evaluations, professional development and parent education.
Rabbi Rubinfeld's expertise includes classroom management and discipline, effective instruction, bullying, cultivating sensitivity in the classroom, impulse disorders (such as ADHD and ODD), and balancing the educational needs of mainstream and special needs children in the classroom.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is the also the founder and director of Torah Umesorah's Lilmod U'Lilamed department which provides professional development for teachers and principals throughout the year.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is a talmid of the distinguished Yeshivos of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim and Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood.