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Hebrew Text
כִּי הִוא כסותה [כְסוּתוֹ] לְבַדָּהּ הִוא שִׂמְלָתוֹ לְעֹרוֹ בַּמֶּה יִשְׁכָּב וְהָיָה כִּי־יִצְעַק אֵלַי וְשָׁמַעְתִּי כִּי־חַנּוּן אָנִי׃
English Translation
for that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin: in what shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he cries to me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.
Transliteration
Ki hi ksuto levadah hi simlato le'oro bame yishkav vehaya ki-yitzak elai veshamati ki-chanun ani.
Hebrew Leining Text
כִּ֣י הִ֤וא כְסוּתֹה֙ לְבַדָּ֔הּ הִ֥וא שִׂמְלָת֖וֹ לְעֹר֑וֹ בַּמֶּ֣ה יִשְׁכָּ֔ב וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־יִצְעַ֣ק אֵלַ֔י וְשָׁמַעְתִּ֖י כִּֽי־חַנּ֥וּן אָֽנִי׃ {ס}
Parasha Commentary
📚 Talmud Citations
This verse is quoted in the Talmud.
📖 Bava Metzia 115b
The verse is cited in a discussion about the ethical obligation to return a pledged garment to a poor person before nightfall, emphasizing God's compassion and the importance of treating the poor with kindness.
Context in Shemot (Exodus 22:26-27)
This verse appears in Parashat Mishpatim, detailing the laws concerning collateral for loans. The Torah prohibits a lender from keeping a poor person's garment overnight if it serves as their only covering, emphasizing compassion and human dignity.
Rashi's Explanation
Rashi (Exodus 22:26) clarifies that the verse refers to a lender taking a garment as collateral. He explains that the phrase "כי היא כסותו" ("for that is his only covering") means the garment is essential for the borrower's basic need—protection from the cold at night. Rashi emphasizes that the Torah requires its return by sunset, as depriving someone of their sole covering would cause undue suffering.
Rambam (Maimonides) on Compassionate Lending
In Hilchot Malveh v'Loveh (Laws of Lending and Borrowing 1:2-3), Rambam derives from this verse that a lender must act with rachmanut (mercy). Even though the lender has a legal right to collateral, the Torah demands sensitivity to the borrower's plight. Rambam rules that if the garment is necessary for the borrower's survival, withholding it violates tzedakah (righteousness) and chessed (kindness).
Midrashic Insight (Mechilta d'Rabbi Yishmael)
The Mechilta connects this law to Hashem's attribute of "חַנּוּן" ("gracious"). Just as Hashem hears the cries of the oppressed ("כי יצעק אלי ושמעתי"), we must emulate His compassion. The Midrash teaches that ignoring a borrower's suffering contradicts the divine model of justice intertwined with mercy.
Halachic Implications (Shulchan Aruch)
Philosophical Dimension (Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch)
Rabbi Hirsch notes that the verse’s conclusion—"כי חנון אני"—ties civil law to divine ethics. By returning the garment, the lender acknowledges that all possessions ultimately belong to Hashem, and human needs supersede contractual rights. This reflects the Torah’s broader principle: דרכיה דרכי נועם ("its ways are ways of pleasantness," Proverbs 3:17).