…long run. Hence the remarkable project of the Torah: to translate historical experience into detailed legislation, so that the Israelites would live what they had learned on a daily basis, weaving it into the very texture of their social life. In the parsha of Mishpatim, vision becomes detail, and narrative becomes law. So, for example: “If you buy a Hebrew…
…us and other people, listening is the prelude to love.[8] [1] See Covenant & Conversation on Mishpatim: “Doing and Hearing.” [2] See George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, Metaphors We Live By, University of Chicago Press, 1980. [3] This appears in the opening pages of his work, Kol Nevuah. [4] To be sure, the Zohar uses a visual term, ta chazi,…
On the opening phrase of Mishpatim: “And these are the laws you are to set before them,” (Shemot 21:1) Rashi comments: “And these are the laws you are to set before them.” Wherever uses the word “these” it signals a discontinuity with what has been stated previously. Wherever it uses the term “and these” it signals a continuity. Just as…
…in specific detail. That is precisely the relationship between the “ten utterances” and the detailed commands of parshat Mishpatim (Ex. 22–23). The former are the general outline, the basic principles of the law. Usually they are portrayed, graphically and substantively, as two sets of five, the first dealing with relationships between us and God (including honouring our parents since they,…
…parsha of Mishpatim. There is a subtle difference between the three recitations of Na’aseh Venishma. In two cases, the people say “We will do all that God says.” In the third, the double verb is used: na’aseh ve-nishma. “We will do, and we will hear (or obey, or understand).” Now notice that there is another difference. In the first two…
…is a machaneh – a camp, a defensive formation. An edah, congregation, is altogether different. Here people can come together because they share a vision, a goal, a set of ideals. Edah is related to the word ed, witness. Edot (as opposed to chukim and mishpatim) are the commands that testify to Jewish belief – as Shabbat testifies to Creation,…
Two words we read towards the end of our parsha – na’aseh ve-nishma, “We will do and we will hear” – are among the most famous in Judaism. They are what our ancestors said when they accepted the covenant at Sinai. They stand in the sharpest possible contrast to the complaints, sins, backslidings and rebellions that seem to mark so…
Delve into our collection of sources and guiding questions on notions of covenant, inspired by the teachings of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l, compiled by Sacks Scholar Mijal Bitton. Download in English Download in Hebrew Download in Spanish Download in French Download in German You may also wish to view our full range of Shavuot and Tikkun Leil resources….
…no other reason than to reward us for obeying it. The Sages recognised that whereas Gentiles might understand Jewish laws based on social justice (mishpatim) or historical memory (edot), commands such as the prohibition of eating meat and milk together seem irrational and superstitious to others. The chukim were laws of which “Satan and the nations of the world made…
…Mishpatim: Vision and Detail Core Questions What specific vision was Moses given when he was chosen to lead? How was this vision expanded upon for the people at Sinai? What do you think is more important to leadership, the grand vision or the small details? What values can you conclude are central to Jewish leadership from this principle of Jewish…