Rabbi Austrian considers the enigma of this verse: ‘If we are being routed by our enemies, then how can there be no pursuer?’ He cites the early sages who understood that the verse makes a distinction between enemies external to the community and enemies from within the community.
Dr. Lehman considers the challenge of the textual distinction between Israelites and non-Israelites with regard to slavery. It is especially disturbing in light of the recent Exodus narrative; the narrative of Israelites being enslaved by non-Israelite taskmasters is now inverted. How do we reconcile with the text?
Rabbi Sacks writes about the natural tendency towards radical economic inequality that results from the free market. He observes that while the objective of the Torah is not to abolish ownership of property, it does require equity, which implies some redistribution of property.