By Elie Shapiro This week’s parsha begins with
וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר תָּשִׂ֖ים לִפְנֵיהֶֽם׃
These are the rules that you shall set before them:
Rashi picks up on the first word ואלה and instantly quotes the מכילתא that,
ואלה המשפטים. כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "אֵלֶּה" פָּסַל אֶת הָרִאשׁוֹנִים, "וְאֵלֶּה" מוֹסִיף עַל הָרִאשׁוֹנִים, מָה הָרִאשׁוֹנִים מִסִּינַי, אַף אֵלּוּ מִסִּינַי;
Just like the Aseres HaDibros are from Har Sinai, so too all the dinim in Mishpatim are from Har Sinai.
It is hard to fathom that property law, penalties for stealing and such detail oriented laws and technicalities really matter where we derive them from, why is it so important for us to realize that all these detailed “smaller” laws are from Har Sinai, just like the “big” 10 of the Aseres Hadibros?
In life it's usually easy to feel “frum” in a Yeshiva setting, with a significant portion of the day being spent in the beis medrash. It’s a lot harder when life has you running in a million different directions, with work, school or insert any life factor requiring your attention. Chazal are picking up on a major life lesson that Torah permeates throughout all aspects of our lives, in every detail.
Sitting and learning a 3 hour seder is important and so is going to the supermarket and not stealing. The day to day may seem mundane, but it is important to see the “details” as opportunities to imbue Kedusha into our lives.
As the Gemara in Bava Kamma (30a) says,
אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: הַאי מַאן דְּבָעֵי לְמֶהֱוֵי חֲסִידָא – לְקַיֵּים מִילֵּי דִּנְזִיקִין.
Rav Yehuda says: One who wants to be pious should observe the matters of Nezikin
Someone who wants to be a pious person is meant to keep all the laws of Nezikin (a large number of which are in Mishpatim).
So now that we understand the importance of the details and how it leads us to many opportunities to uplift our lives, how does it relate to us nowadays?
We can see the importance of the Mishpatim from (1:27) ישעיהו
צִיּ֖וֹן בְּמִשְׁפָּ֣ט תִּפָּדֶ֑ה וְשָׁבֶ֖יהָ בִּצְדָקָֽה׃
Zion, will be redeemed through justice, and it’s captives through righteousness
We see that only through keeping the laws of Nezikin, through the keeping of the Mishpatim will Tzion be redeemed and all of this is a prerequisite for hopefully seeing our captives returned home soon.
May we all try to do our part in remembering how important the “small” details are. Not only do they give opportunities for individual growth, but they also impact klal yisroel as a whole.
Good shabbos! :)
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