LEV800 This [verse] exhorts Jews to love non-Jews who live among them in peace. [Later, during the time of the Talmud, ger came to mean, and still does, a convert to Judaism, and many Jews therefore assume that the loving legislation in the Torah concerning the ger refers to converts to Judaism. But the context in which the Bible commands a fair and loving treatment of a ger -- often followed with the phrase "you were strangers (gerim) in the land of Egypt" (see, for example, [this and preceding verses] -- makes it clear that the reference is to equitable treatment of non-Israelites residing among Israelites. Otherwise, the verse's only possible meaning would be, "and you shall love the convert for you were converts in the land of Egypt," which suggests that the Israelites in Egypt had embraced the idolatrous religion of their masters. Rather, what the Torah was telling the Israelites is, in effect: "Treat the stranger well, for you were strangers in Egypt, and understand how hard it is to be a stranger, because you know from your own experience how badly you were treated." This recurrent biblical teaching," for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (see also Exodus 22:20, Exodus 23:9, Deuteronomy 10:19; see page 287) seems to serve as an early adumbration of Hillel's first-century B.C.E. summary of Judaism's essence: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor" (Shabbat 31a; see A Code of Jewish Ethics, Volume 1: You Shall Be Holy, pages 10 – 11)]. Unlike the English word "stranger," which is etymologically related to "strange" and thus has a somewhat pejorative connotation, ger derives from a root meaning "to dwell among," and has a positive connotation more suggestive of residents. In addition to commanding the Israelites to love the stranger, God later and explicitly identifies Himself as One who "loves the stranger" (ve-ohev ger); Deuteronomy 10:18): "Martin Buber… noted that there is no other case of a class or persons with whom God is identified as their lover." (Ernst Simon, "The Neighbor Whom We Shall Love," In Fox, Modern Jewish Ethics, 33).