None of the Five Books of Moses is more passionately concerned with the plight of the vulnerable than Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 15 operates on two levels simultaneously. At one level, it puts forward concrete solutions to the predicaments faced by the poor. But at another, deeper level, it strives to shape a social ethic, to transform Israel into a community of mutual care and concern. When confronted with the sufferings of the needy, Deuteronomy wants us to act decently and also, crucially, to care deeply.