Parshat Mishpatim; Exodus 21:1 -24:18 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger
Parshat Mishpatim is the portion that follows the giving of the Ten Commandments in Parshat Yitro. According to tradition, these laws and rules, commandments and statutes are a continuation of the details of the law given at Mt. Sinai. Some midrashim tell us that this too was given at Sinai and that the Children of Israel heard these along with the first ten. These laws in Mishpatim detail not only ways in which we are to worship God but give rules for treating the widow and orphan and slaves, the least powerful in society. The laws of Mishpatim deal with laws of injury, morality, and property. These are the initial designs of a new nation.
Remember these are former slaves. They must build a society from the ground up. While these slaves were builders of cities they were not builders of society. They had 400 years of oppression and servitude overseen by cruel taskmasters. Now in their freedom they had to build a society of law and moral grounding. These slaves had to become free and the law and rules for society provide the template for how a free person can live in justice and peace. This was God’s gift to the Israelites in the revelation at Sinai!
With this portion, this group of slaves now has a more detailed guide for how to conduct their lives and what the expectations are of them to live as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
As the portion ends we begin to get the outline of the ways to celebrate and worship God. The three festivals, shalosh regalim, that today we observe as Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot are described for the first time. These are special festivals for God that requires the people to appear before God. While it doesn’t yet state where the people should appear—there is definitely a sense that this too will be revealed. God tells the people that the borders of their land will be from the Sea of Reeds to the Sea of Philistia and from the wilderness to the Euphrates. This is a vast swath of land extending way beyond the Jordan River. But God promises it all in Mishpatim but only if they keep far from idolatry and follow the angel that God will send before the people. (Ex. 23:20). This emissary must be heeded. And most importantly the angel will guide the Israelites on their journey toward the Promised Land. But the job of the Israelites is to resist the gods and goddess of the local people that they will encounter. This is perhaps even one of the most difficult challenges that will face the Israelite people and continues until today.
Posted by Aaron at January 28, 2008 04:25 PM
