Articles with the tag: mishpatim

An Eye for an Eye and the Whole World Would Be Blind

Is Biblical Justice To Harsh….Kabbalistically Its Perfect

The Juggler

Rabbi Shochet Speaks to the Rohr Bais Chaya Academy

Rabbi Shochet Speaks to the Rohr Bais Chaya Academy SHABBOS MEVORCHIM ADAR PARSHAS MISHPOTIM-SHEKOLIM

Holy Money

This week’s Torah portion, Mishpatim, consists primarily of civil and criminal laws. The juxtaposition of this section with the Ten Commandments of Sinai provides a startling insight into Judaism. To G-d, religion is not mere ritual that separates Church and State. On the contrary, all areas of life are intertwined, and the business office offers as many opportunities for holiness as does the Synagogue. Thus, one can open the prayer book, as well as the checkbook, to discover sanctity.

It was the Rebbe’s 84th birthday, and the chassidim were finishing their morning prayers. Suddenly, throughout the synagogue urgent whispering traveled at lightning speed, “The Rebbe is giving out dollars for tzedakah!” Within moments hundreds lined up. One by one, they…

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No Stranger Than You

The Biblical section of Mishpatim offers us the Torah’s vision of a just and equitable social order. Among its many complex rules is one that figuratively leaps off the page by its revolutionary moral stance. “Do not oppress a stranger; you yourselves know how it feels to be a stranger, for you were strangers in Egypt.”

One insight into the reason for this mitzvah can be gleaned from an earlier verse that states, “Do not taunt or oppress a stranger.” The Sages comment that to taunt refers to verbal abuse (reminding a stranger of his origins), to oppress means to take financial advantage by robbery or overcharging. The Talmud further notes that verbal wrongdoing is worse than a monetary offense…

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Four Excuses

G-d has blessed me with a sense of humor. As I am fortunate enough to be involved in two wonderful organizations, the Hebrew Academy Community School and Chabad Lubavitch of Coral Springs, I have a never-ending opportunity to observe my fellow man and witness his foibles. But the area of life that offers me the most humor is man’s silly attempt to excuse his or her actions. One might argue that these scenes are surely tragic. All too true. But nonetheless, homo sapiens delusions about himself are comedic at the same time. Generally speaking, all excuses can be categorized into four types.

First, there is the “That’s how G-d made me” excuse: Why shouldn’t I do what ever I want?...

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How Much for an Eye?

I was all prepared to write a Fax of Life that focused on the verse that dealt with the festival pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Based on a thought from the revered Rabbi Meir Shapiro of “Chachmei Lublin” fame, it was to be a call to the faithful that Torah is the only road to personal salvation, the ultimate destiny for the Jewish nation and the redemptive state for all mankind. Instead, I will tell you about body piercing.

Don’t be too surprised. Judaism not only deals with all-embracing themes that affect all of humanity, it also speaks to the details of one man’s life. In fact, most of the 53 laws listed in this week’s Torah portion concentrate on the seedier…

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The Role of Government

Following upon the heels of Revelation at Sinai the Torah’s next portion of Mishpatim lists no less than fifty three commandments. The majority of those deal with civil and tort law. The juxtaposition of the “Big Ten” from G-d Himself with the seemingly mundane monetary matters refutes the common misconception that religion is confined to ritual and temple. So while Western man differentiates between Church and State, Judaism knows no such distinction.

Indeed, one minor lesson derived from these two Biblical readings being in such close proximity is that the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court of Judaism, would in the future convene right next to the Temple in Jerusalem, since both are equal expressions of G-d’s Will and Holiness.

But exactly…

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