Synopsis Mishpatim - the Jewish slave and other laws

Lessons For Life by Rabbi Jonathan Tawil

Parashat Mishpatim, located in the Book of Exodus (21:1–24:18), presents a detailed compilation of laws that were intended to guide the Israelite community following the revelation at Mount Sinai. This section encompasses a wide range of civil, criminal, and ritual directives, emphasizing justice, ethical behavior, and social responsibility.

The portion begins with regulations concerning Hebrew servitude. A Hebrew servant is to serve for six years and be released in the seventh year without payment. If the servant was unmarried upon entering service but marries during his term, his wife and children remain with the master upon his release, unless he chooses to stay with them as a servant. For female servants, if her master or his son decides to marry her, she is to be treated as a daughter. If not, she must be redeemed, and her rights to food, clothing, and marital relations must not be diminished.

The parashah also addresses various civil and criminal laws, including penalties for causing bodily harm, with the principle of “an eye for an eye†interpreted as monetary compensation. It outlines liabilities for damages caused by one’s animals or by neglect, such as uncovered pits, and specifies restitution requirements for stolen property, with higher penalties for theft of livestock.

Emphasis is placed on justice and compassion, with prohibitions against oppressing strangers, widows, and orphans, highlighting the Israelites’ own experience in Egypt. There are warnings against accepting bribes and perverting justice, especially concerning the poor. Instructions are given to let the land rest every seventh year and to rest on the seventh day, allowing servants and animals to rejuvenate.

Ritual laws are also detailed, including the observance of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals—Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot—as times to honor God. Commands such as not boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk are provided, which have been interpreted as a basis for the separation of meat and dairy in kosher laws.

The portion concludes with the reaffirmation of the covenant. Moses writes down God’s commandments, builds an altar, and sprinkles sacrificial blood as a sign of the covenant between God and Israel. Moses, along with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders, ascends Mount Sinai, where they witness a vision of God. Moses then remains on the mountain for forty days and nights to receive further instructions.

Parashat Mishpatim serves as a foundational text, detailing laws and ethical guidelines that have influenced Jewish thought and legal traditions throughout history.