To Kill A Mockingbird Summary And Analysis Of Julius Chapters 1-19

Determine the Context of the Passage

This passage comes from the book of Leviticus, which is a written text of the laws given to the Israelites. The book lists what character and actions Yahweh expected from the Israelites as His chosen people. At first glance, chapter 19 of Leviticus seems to be filled with various laws that do not interconnect. Looking closer throughout the chapter, all the commands seemed to be linked to the first and second verses of chapter 19, which says “The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy (Lev. 19:1-2).” All of the various commands in chapter 19 appear to be connected by one idea: holiness! God called the Israelites to be holy, so the commands he gave are a means to be holy, as well as the command given in verses 9-10.

Identify the Kind of Law Involved
It is not stating a specific case like a casuistic law would, rather it is giving the Israelites a command of moral action to follow. The Israelites are commanded not to reap the edges of their fields or go over their vineyards a second time. God is not telling them to be wasteful, but to leave something for the poor and foreigner of the land. This law would also fall under the compassionate laws describe in Peter T. Vogt’s book Interpreting the Pentateuch. Peter T. Vogt stated it like this, “Compassionate laws regulate how the people in the community are to treat one another (Vogt p.139).” Since this command involves the treatment of the poor and foreigners in the land, it falls under Vogt’s definition of compassionate