Deuteronomy/Devarim 24:14–15

Deuteronomy/Devarim 24:14–15

יד לֹא-תַעֲשֹׁק שָׂכִיר, עָנִי וְאֶבְיוֹן, מֵאַחֶיךָ, אוֹ מִגֵּרְךָ אֲשֶׁר בְּאַרְצְךָ בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ. טו בְּיוֹמוֹ תִתֵּן שְׂכָרוֹ וְלֹא-תָבוֹא עָלָיו הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, כִּי עָנִי הוּא, וְאֵלָיו, הוּא נֹשֵׂא אֶת-נַפְשׁוֹ; וְלֹא-יִקְרָא עָלֶיךָ אֶל-יְהוָה, וְהָיָה בְךָ חֵטְא.

14 Do not oppress the hired laborer who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your people or one of the sojourners in your land within your gates. 15 Give him his wages in the daytime, and do not let the sun set on them, for he is poor, and his life depends on them, lest he cry out to God about you, for this will be counted as a sin for you.

Discussion Questions for Deuteronomy/Devarim 24:147–15

  1. In your own words, what is this text saying? What is the primary point of this text?
  2. What does this text teach us about the relationship between work and one’s quality of life?
  3. What does this text teach us about the responsibilities of workers and employers?
  4. If you were a worker during this time, how might you interpret this text? How could this text support the mission of joining a union to fight for better wages and working conditions?
  5. If you were a factory owner during this time, how might you interpret this text? How could this text support the decision to keep a union out of your factory?
  6. Now prepare a short presentation for the other groups in which you will share your text and then discuss:
    1. Does this text seem to favor the perspective of the worker or the factory owner, or is it neutral? What makes you say that?
    2. After you discuss, ask if any of the other groups have a different interpretation of your text that they would like to share.

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Deuteronomy/Devarim 24:14–15." (Viewed on April 25, 2024) <http://jwa.org/node/22237>.