parshat Mishpatim

"And people of holiness shall you be to me The flesh of an animal that is found torn in the field shall not be eaten; it should instead be passed to a dog." What could this possibly to do with the mandate to be holy?!

Our parsha takes us through a bewildering transition of the Israelites leaving Egypt. Suddenly, we now find ourselves faced with a law code covering a bewildering variety of topics. Why here?

There is no such thing as an 'incurable' disease.

Right after the giving of the Torah and before the many halachot that appear in our parasha, the Torah declares: "These are the statutes that you shall place before them" (Shemot 21:1), which is the source of the halacha that one must adjudicate in beit din (rather than non-Jewish or secular courts). This special location gives special importance to the place of Jewish monetary law in our national and individual lives.

After the granting of the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, this is followed with a long and detailed list of instructions, commandments, and laws. The mere existence of such a list presupposes the willingness of the population to follow these laws and instructions.

The people of Israel come to the land of Israel by conquering the land from other nations. This Parasha sheds light on the morality of our conquest.

A shiur by Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed for "Prashat Shekalim".

A shiur by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks for the weekly portion "Mishpatim".