L’Dovid Mizmor ~ Parshas Mishpotim
It is the divine judicial system, that we can carry out on Earth. And that is why it had to be presented with the עשרת הדברותand with such fanfare, to teach us this lesson; the judgment of the Torah, is not simply a legal system as the nations of the world, but rather a code of Divine Will.
They didn’t want any more than the bare minimum.
The details make the difference
Later on however, ( כ''ו, )י''חthe wording is “ את הדבר הקשה ”יביאון אל משה. What’s the change?
The ילקוטin יתרוrelates about how ' הoffered the תורהto בני עשו, who replied, “ מה כתיב בהWhat is written within it?” To which ' הresponded “לא תרצח-Do not murder.” And as is well known, the nation of עשוpolitely declined the offer with a great excuse; “That’s not me. על חרבך תחיהis what יצחקtold me.” And the מדרשcontinues to describe, how הקב''הwent toעמון and then ישמעאלwho also refused. There is a famous קשיאon the מדרש, namely, even without the תורהthere is an איסורfrom the שבע מצות בני נחnot to kill, steal or do זנות. So, what exactly have the גויםgained by refusing the ?תורה Answers ר' ליב גורביץ זצ''לin מאורי שערים, the פסוקsays “-לְ כָל צ''ו( ”תחְ לָה ָראיתי קֵץ ְרחָ בָ ה ִמ ְצו ְָתָך ְמאד, )תהילים קי''טwhere the פסוקdescribes the breadth expanse of תורה, yet the פסוק writes מצותךin the singular form. Shouldn’t it have said it in plural? The פסוקis giving a description of each and every single מצוה, that each one is “!”רחבה מאד What does this mean? For example, the ”לא תרצח“ איסור doesn’t only mean actual bloodshed, but rather, as the גמרא tells us (. )בבא מציעא נחthat one who is מלבין פני חברו ברביםis as if he killed him. Meaning, that it is a so to speak, a branch-out of לא תרצח. And similarly, the רמב''םpaskens (כל )פ''ב מהלכות דעות ה''ג ” כאילו עובד עבודה זרה”הכועס, which means, that it is אביזרייהו of עבודה זרה, another detail within the מצוה. And this is confirmed by the וילנא גאון.
גויםhave no פרטים And returning to our question, what the עמון, בני עשוand ישמעאלgained by refusing the תורה, now we understand! Had they accepted the offer, their איסורof לא תרצחwould include so much more; humiliating another, and much more. But, being that they declined, their מצותare now limited to the simple meaning!
Every penny accounted for יתרוsuggested to כ''ב( משה,“ )י''חAppoint Judges to assist you ”וכל הדבר הגדול יביאו אליך וכל הדבר הקטן ישפוטו הם.
Explains the נצי''ב, that in truth, there is no difference in importance between one penny and £100,000. The תורה teaching us that גדולis just perhaps קשה, but by no means more significant! [And this could be a פשטin the מדרשin פרשה כ''ז,ויקרא רבה. עיין שם.]
עבד עברי, the first פרשה The רמב''ןasks, why is עבד עבריof all הלכותmentioned first? It would appear that the answer is based on the descriptions we find in רש''יof this previous thief’s treatment. The תורה doesn’t tell us to throw him into a cell, to rot with low lives! No! We sell him to a צדיק, and he learns to behave under good influence with a pleasant treatment!
Our תורה, our guide Based on all the above, we can answer our first question; why was it so important that כלל ישראלshould have a clarity in specifically ?דיני ממונותAnd our second point, why was the פרשהof ממונותgiven at the first point of מתן תורה immediately following the ?עשרת הדברות We see a theme running through all the above, and that is, that כלל ישראלwere compelled to understand every detail; the attention to detail shows us how each and everyמצוה needs to be examined with a fine-toothed comb, because of what each one contains. It isn’t a logic, a science; even the דיני ממונותof the תורהaren't simply a legal code. They gave much more; it’s an education to lead a higher life! It is so far beyond the logic of the finite human mind From the פרשהof דיני ממונות, and specifically עבד עברי, the beauty and majesty of תורהbecomes highlighted in our minds! Each מצוהis רחבה מאד, and each מצוהhas tremendous importance, and by studying and examining, and of course, practising the מצות, we can and will become closer to השי''ת.
~!~א גוט שבת
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L’Dovid Mizmor
L’Dovid Mizmor ~ Parshas Mishpotim
Parshas Mishpotim ©
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משפטים
The Torah Judgment ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם Clarity and precision On the words תשים לפניהם, רש''יcomments and explains that הקב''הwas instructing Moshe to present the דיני ממונותto כלל ישראלin a clear and precise manner, and that it should be similar to a set table, organised and set. Moreover, ' הreiterates, “Let it not enter your mind that it is sufficient to simply repeat it twice or three times.” No, rather Moshe was required to make sure that כלל ישראל should understand every single הלכהwith clarity. But why is this so necessary for specifically these ?הלכותDo we find by the other מצותthis instruction? So why are these any different? This is a question raised by the נצי''ב.
Connection of subjects At the beginning of the סדרה, רש''יteaches us a rule in grammar, that whereas '' ''אלהwithout a Vov pushes aside all that was mentioned previously, “ ”ואלהconnects the previous information with the current topic. In our context, the word ואלהtells us that just as the previous מצותwere from סיני, similarly the דיני ממונותare from סיני. Following this רש''יasks, why is the subject of ממונותplaced next to the subject of the ?מזבחTo which he answers that the תורהis hinting about the location of the סנהדרין הגדול. The problem with רש''יis, his questions seem to be in the wrong order; first ask about the positioning, and only then comment on the individual words! Why doesn’t he do it that way?
In our פרשהthe first thing to address is the word ואלה. But having explained it’s implication, רש''יis left with a problem; why indeed is it so vital to tell me that דיני ממונות are from ?סיניWasn’t every מצוהfrom !?סיניAs רש''יin Behar tells us explicitly! So why would דיני ממוןbe different? The answer is, says the מזרחי, that all מצותwere given only 40 days after the 6th of Sivan, the day of מתן תורה. But the monetary laws were given following the עשרת הדברותon that same day! Therefore, asks ?”למה נסמכו“ רש''יWhy isn’t the subject of חושן משפטplaced in the correct place, which is, immediately after ?עשרת הדברותWhy is it put next to the subject of ?מזבח That is what bothered רש''י.
Okay. But now we are faced with a question; why were the laws of money specifically said at הר סיניwith the עשרת ?הדברותWhy not anything else in particular?
The Uniqueness of הלכות חושן משפט Civil law, is not unique to us. The nations of the world have also got systems of court. Law and order is logical. So, what is the תורהadding with a whole ?פרשהIsn’t it plain common sense?! The answer is, תורהjudgment is a level beyond. It isn’t simply what human logic dictates, rather, it is a system that has been set up that gives directions to the way we live our lives.
Answers the מזרחי, as explained by the לבוש, רש''י © Copyright 2021 Sunderland Yeshiva Oitzer.co.uk