Every Cry Is Heard: The Torah’s Message About Widows and Orphans

“You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you do afflict him, then when he cries out to Me, I will surely hear his cry” (Shemot 22:21–22).

The Holy One, blessed be He, warns the people of Israel not to cause pain to a widow or an orphan. In this verse, several words are deliberately repeated: cry and he will cry, hear and I will hear.

Why does the Torah repeat these words? What is added by the doubling of “cry” and “hear”?

The Vulnerability of the Orphan and the Widow

Rabbeinu Bachya explains that it is the way of the world for those who are harmed or humiliated to seek helpers and protectors. The orphan and the widow, however, are weak and lack human support. They therefore place their trust not in people, but in the Holy One, blessed be He, who alone is their helper, savior, and shield.

For this reason, Scripture teaches that they receive divine assistance more than anyone else. And because they are often afflicted repeatedly, day after day, the Torah emphasizes the warning through repetition.

This raises another question. Why does the verse say, “If you afflict him,” in the singular, rather than “them”?

Every Cry Is Heard Individually

Rabbeinu Bachya answers with a profound insight. God relates to each cry individually and listens attentively to every person who calls out to Him.

The verse warns not to afflict even one of them repeatedly. If that happens, “when he cries out to Me” means that whenever any one of them cries out, God hears that specific cry. Each cry, from each individual, receives its own attentive hearing.

For this reason, the Torah repeats both the crying and the hearing, to teach that no cry is overlooked, and no voice is lost before God.