V’eile hamishpatim…. And these are the ordinances. The fact that this week’s parsha begins with the conjunction “and” implies that it is the logical continuation of Parshat Yitro. Indeed it is; but with one major caveat. The focus of last week’s Torah reading was the awesome revelation at Sinai. This week, we begin the legislative portion of the Torah—civil and tort law, laws of property and liability, laws of kindness and ethics. A flurry of 53 commandments in all. But right off the bat, we have a problem. In what seems like an incongruous juxtaposition, the first set of laws deals with the treatment of Jewish bondsmen or servants. Seems a little odd to start off this legislative blitz with the laws of legal slavery when Israel has only been free for a few weeks! The problem only compounds from there. I would estimate that roughly half of the laws presented here—laws of property, agriculture, liability in construction, the Pilgrimage Festivals—would have little or no context for a nation of freed slaves to grasp, nor would many of them even apply until Israel had reached the Promised Land. So, why are they here?
I would suggest a few reasons. If Israel was to simply follow the Divine, doing what they were told, that would fundamentally be no different than being slaves to a master. They need to learn that Judaism is a religion of both pure faith and unquestioning observance. What we do in our daily lives, and the way in which do it, connects us inexorably to Heaven. The reverse is true, as well; G-d is our inspiration to stay on the right path, both ethically and ritually.
To take it to the next level, however, Israel needs to learn that the Mitzvot they are being taught are not random tasks of hard labor which they are being compelled to perform. The laws of keeping Hebrew “slaves” is not a construction which legitimizes slavery. They focus on the moral imperatives of keeping servants and treating them fairly, including freeing them after 6 years of service. The Rabbis offer numerous situations in which offering someone the opportunity for indentured servitude would be a positive act, such as rescuing them from poverty or the ability to pay off a debt. The laws of property, agriculture, and livestock are Mitzvot which teach the nation that there is a need for communal responsibility once living in a society where, for the first time, they will have their own property and domiciles. These laws are based on equity and fairness, not pointless obedience.
And then, as if to restate His point, G-d returns to the concept of holiness toward the end of the Parsha, reminding the nation to eschew idol worship, promising them deliverance from the Canaanite nations, and prosperity in the land. Israel gets the message. They say together, as one, “All the words that G-d has spoken, we will do, and we will obey.” Then, and only then, do Moshe, Aaron and his sons, and the 70 elders of Israel have a mystical experience where G-d reveals himself (in some form; the Rabbis disagree) in a manner far more visual than that which even Moshe saw before or hence.
Our people have started to learn. From now on, the balance of faith and action is established.Rabbi/Hazzan David B. Sislen
I would suggest a few reasons. If Israel was to simply follow the Divine, doing what they were told, that would fundamentally be no different than being slaves to a master. They need to learn that Judaism is a religion of both pure faith and unquestioning observance. What we do in our daily lives, and the way in which do it, connects us inexorably to Heaven. The reverse is true, as well; G-d is our inspiration to stay on the right path, both ethically and ritually.
To take it to the next level, however, Israel needs to learn that the Mitzvot they are being taught are not random tasks of hard labor which they are being compelled to perform. The laws of keeping Hebrew “slaves” is not a construction which legitimizes slavery. They focus on the moral imperatives of keeping servants and treating them fairly, including freeing them after 6 years of service. The Rabbis offer numerous situations in which offering someone the opportunity for indentured servitude would be a positive act, such as rescuing them from poverty or the ability to pay off a debt. The laws of property, agriculture, and livestock are Mitzvot which teach the nation that there is a need for communal responsibility once living in a society where, for the first time, they will have their own property and domiciles. These laws are based on equity and fairness, not pointless obedience.
And then, as if to restate His point, G-d returns to the concept of holiness toward the end of the Parsha, reminding the nation to eschew idol worship, promising them deliverance from the Canaanite nations, and prosperity in the land. Israel gets the message. They say together, as one, “All the words that G-d has spoken, we will do, and we will obey.” Then, and only then, do Moshe, Aaron and his sons, and the 70 elders of Israel have a mystical experience where G-d reveals himself (in some form; the Rabbis disagree) in a manner far more visual than that which even Moshe saw before or hence.
Our people have started to learn. From now on, the balance of faith and action is established.Rabbi/Hazzan David B. Sislen
