Who Needs Torah-Based Civil Law??

This week's Torah reading of Mishpatim appears to be a major departure from the stories of our Patriarchs and the stories of Divine miracles that we have read until now, in that it is largely a list of civil laws: Who is responsbile for which damages under what circumstances, who pays if one ox gores another, how much a thief must compensate his victim, lost objects, majority rule, milk and meat, and much more. One of the questions we must ask is: Why did the Torah make rules for civil law in certain areas, and not leave them up to the will of the people in each society?

God and his Laws

Parshat Mishpatim

Meet a God Who Prays The task of Israel is to make their own will like God's will, to be similar to Him, and, as such, to bring about the appearance of the Divine element in our worldly existence.