THE OHR SOMAYACH TORAH MAGAZINE ON THE INTERNET • WWW.OHR.EDU O H R N E T SHABBAT PARSHAT MISHPATIM • 29 SHVAT 5770 • FEB. 13, 2010 • VOL. 17 NO. 18 PARSHA INSIGHTS SURFACE TENSION “We will do and we will obey.” (24:7) he Midrash tells us that before the Jewish People The Talmud tells us that when we embarrass someone it’s accepted the Torah, G-d offered it to all the other as though we killed him. This is evidenced by the blood Tnations one by one and they rejected it. He offered it draining from his face. The Talmud also tells us that staring to the nation of Esav. Esav asked what was in it. G-d said at a woman with lustful intent is in itself an act of gross inde- “You mustn’t murder.” “We live by our sword”, was their cency. reply. G-d offered it to Yishmael. They too asked G-d what Behind the surface of each commandment, there is a sub- was in it. “Don’t commit adultery.” So Yishmael also turned tlety and depth that demands a great deal of a person. For it down; it wasn’t congruent with their lifestyle. Finally G-d the Torah is not just a dry legal system — it’s the handbook offered the Torah to the Jewish People and they said, “We’ll of holiness in this world. do and we’ll hear.” That’s what these nations couldn’t accept. When they There’s something about this Midrash that is hard to understand. All those nations who rejected the Torah now realized that the Torah connoted infinitely more than its sur- have laws against murder, adultery and many other of the face appearance, they turned it down. Torah’s societal laws. If those very nations incorporated • Source: Rabbi Yitzchak Ruderman, these statutes into their legal systems, why was the Torah so heard from Rabbi Reuven Buckler. difficult for them to accept? Seemingly, the Torah required May this Torah thought bring merit to the soul of Yaakov Yisrael, no more of them than that to which they subsequently com- zatzal ben Reuven, Shlita Buckler, who passed away tragically mitted themselves. this week. THE JEWISH LEARNING LIBRARY IS PROUD TO PRESENT THE ESSENTIAL MALBIM T HE K OHN F AMILY E DITION VOLUME ONE - FLASHES OF INSIGHT ON BEREISHET/ GENESIS ADAPTED BY RABBI REUVEN SUBAR • EDITED BY RABBI MENDEL WEINBACH PUBLISHED BY ARTSCROLL / MESORAH NOW AVAILABLE AT YOUR JEWISH BOOKSTORE OR WWW.OHR.EDU www. 1 ohr.edu PARSHA OVERVIEW he Jewish People receive a series of laws concerning not be delayed, and the Jewish People must be holy, even social justice. Topics include: Proper treatment of concerning food. The Torah teaches the proper conduct for TJewish servants; a husband’s obligations to his wife; judges in court proceedings. The commandments of Shabbat penalties for hitting people and for cursing parents, judges and the Sabbatical year are outlined. Three times a year — and leaders; financial responsibilities for damaging people or Pesach, Shavuot and Succot — we are to come to the their property, either by oneself or by one’s animate or inan- Temple. The Torah concludes this listing of laws with a law of imate property, or by pitfalls that one created; payments for kashrut — not to mix milk and meat. theft; not returning an object that one accepted responsibil- G-d promises that He will lead the Jewish People to the ity to guard; the right to self-defense of a person being Land of Israel, helping them conquer its inhabitants, and tells robbed. them that by fulfilling His commandments they will bring Other topics include: Prohibitions against seduction; blessings to their nation. The people promise to do and lis- witchcraft, bestiality and sacrifices to idols. The Torah warns ten to everything that G-d says. Moshe writes the Book of us to treat the convert, widow and orphan with dignity, and the Covenant, and reads it to the people. Moshe ascends the to avoid lying. Usury is forbidden and the rights over collat- mountain to remain there for 40 days in order to receive the eral are limited. Payment of obligations to the Temple should two Tablets of the Covenant. ISRAEL Forever LOOKING AT OUR ROOTS o what extent do we want to adopt the values without being a Knesset Member, also asked his audience of foreign societies?” This is the rhetorical to consider whether we do not have an alternative world “Tquestion which Israel’s Justice Minister Yaakov of values. Neeman posed during a recent symposium entitled “Jewish Law and Israeli Law” held at the Interdisciplinary “Consulting with Jewish law,” he suggested, “will Center in Herzlia. enable us to look at our ethical and cultural roots.” The distinguished legalist, who is a cabinet minister A look that will safeguard Israeli society forever. Selections from classical Torah sources which express the special LOVE OF THE LAND - THE PLACES relationship between the People of Israel and Eretz Yisrael ELAH VALLEY – AN ARCHEOLOGICAL TREASURE pottery shard discovered at archeological excava- of Biblical Studies at Haifa University to be Hebrew let- tions at a site near the Elah Valley is believed to tering written some three millennia ago. Adate back to the reign of King David. The deciphering of the ancient script was based on its A mysterious inscription written in ink on a 15 use of verbs particular to the Hebrew language. The deci- centimeter by 16.5-centimeter pottery shard is phered text seems to be a social statement relating to the believed by Prof. Gershon Galil of the Department treatment of widows, orphans and slaves. kg”b akhy”t rtuci vrc hc”j ci z”k hartk hgec vcjur ,/b/m/c/v/ OHRNET magazine is published by OHR SOMAYACH Tanenbaum College POB 18103, Jerusalem 91180, Israel • Tel: +972-2-581-0315 • Email: [email protected] • www.ohr.edu © 2010 Ohr Somayach Institutions - All rights reserved • This publication contains words of Torah. Please treat it with due respect. www. ohr.edu 2 PARSHA Q&A ? 1. In what context is a mezuza mentioned in this week’s 10. A person is given an object for safe-keeping. Later, parsha? he swears it was stolen. Witnesses come and say that 2. What special mitzvah does the Torah give to the mas- in fact he is the one who stole it. How much must he ter of a Hebrew maidservant? pay? 3. What is the penalty for wounding one’s father or 11. A person borrows his employee’s car. The car is mother? struck by lightning. How much must he pay? 4. “A” intentionally hits “B.” As a result, B is close to death. Besides any monetary payments, what happens 12. Why is lending money at interest called “biting”? to A? 13. Non-kosher meat, “treifa,” is preferentially fed to 5. What is the penalty for someone who tries to murder dogs. Why? a particular person, but accidentally kills another per- 14. Which verse forbids listening to slander? son instead? Give two opinions. 15. What constitutes a majority-ruling in a capital case? 6. A slave goes free if his master knocks out one of the 16. How is Shavuot referred to in this week’s parsha? slave’s teeth. What teeth do not qualify for this rule 17. How many prohibitions are transgressed when cook- and why? ing meat and milk together? 7. An ox gores another ox. What is the maximum the 18. What was written in the Sefer Habrit which Moshe owner of the damaging ox must pay, provided his ani- mal had gored no more than twice previously? wrote prior to the giving of the Torah? 8. From where in this week’s parsha can the importance 19. What was the livnat hasapir a reminder of? of work be demonstrated? 20. Who was Efrat? Who was her husband? Who was her 9. What is meant by the words “If the sun shone on him”? son? PARSHA Q&A! Answers to this Week’s Questions! All references are to the verses and Rashi’s commentary unless otherwise stated. 1. 21:6 - If a Hebrew slave desires to remain enslaved, son is not noticed at first but soon overwhelms the his owner brings him “to the doorpost mezuza” to person, so too interest is barely noticeable until it pierce his ear. accumulates to an overwhelming sum. 2. 21:8,9 - To marry her 13. 22:30 - As “reward” for their silence during the 3. 21:15 - Death by strangulation. 4. 21:19 - He is put in jail until “B” recovers or dies. plague of the first-born. 5. 21:23 - 1)The murderer deserves the death penalty. 14. 23:1 - Targum Onkelos translates “Don’t bear a 2)The murderer is exempt from death but must false report” as “Don’t receive a false report”. compensate the heirs of his victim. 15. 23:2 - A simple majority is needed for an acquittal. 6. 21:26 - Baby teeth, which grow back. A majority of two is needed for a ruling of guilty. 7. 21:35 - The full value of his own animal. 8. 21:37 - From the “five-times” penalty for stealing an 16. 23:16 - Chag Hakatzir — Festival of Reaping. ox and slaughtering it. This fine is seen as punish- 17. 23:19 - One. ment for preventing the owner from plowing with 18. 24:4,7 - The Torah, starting from Bereishet until his ox. the giving of the Torah, and the mitzvot given at 9. 22:2 - If it’s as clear as the sun that the thief has no Mara.