It is a mitzva to be sensitive to people who have suffered through crises, disasters, or very painful events. These include orphans, widows, the disabled, the ill, and those who have lost children. We should treat them with great sensitivity and friendship. We should make every effort to give them good advice, help them find work, and do anything else necessary to bring them some happiness. Obviously, it is very important not to take advantage of their vulnerability. As it says, “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not ill-treat any widow or orphan . . . I will heed their outcry as soon as they cry out to Me, and My anger shall blaze forth and I will put you to the sword, and your own wives shall become widows and your children orphans” (Exodus 22:20-23).
