Parshat Mishpatim
By: Moshe Goodman, Kollel Or Shlomo, Hebron
בס"ד
לשכנו תדרשו
Addressing the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land
"ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם..."
A primary focus of this week's parsha is the Torah's judicial system. Indeed, one of the primary ways the Holy Presence rests among Israel is by a proper Judicial system according to the Torah, as Rambam rules in Sanhedrin 23, 9: "Any judge who rules a true judgment even for one hour it is as if he rectified the whole world, and causes the Shechina to rest among Israel as it says 'God stands among the Assembly of God' (Psalms 82, 1)".
Indeed, the very name for a Torah court in our parsha is "Elohim" (see Shmot 21, 6), suggesting God's Presence that works through them. Based on this preface we may understand why the Torah commandment to enact courts (explicit in the beginning of parshat Shoftim) applies specifically to the Land of Israel, the Land of the Holy Presence, as Rambam rules in Sanhedrin 1, 2: "We are not obligated to enact courts in every province and in every city except for the Land of Israel, but outside of the Land we are not obligated to enact a court in every province as it says, 'you shall enact for you in all your gates that HaShem you God gives you' (Deut 16, 18)".
The connection of Torah's judicial system to the Holy Presence may explain more deeply the meaning of the Talmud's statement in Megila 17b which explains the juxtaposition of the blessing for the in-gathering of exiles to the return of Torah's judicial system among the 18 blessings in our Amida prayer: "once the exiles are in-gathered justice is executed upon the wicked as it says (Isaiah 1), 'I will return my Hand upon you (referring to the return of Exiles) and will purge... your filth' and it says (subsequently) 'and I will return your judges as first'".
The Zohar 2, 79b explicitly states that the return of the Shechina is dependent on the return of Israel to their Land. Based on the fore-mentioned Talmudic passage and the Zohar's statement we may understand how first the Shechina will return with the return of the People to the Land, thus giving inspiration and power for the courts to enact justice. The fore-mentioned Talmudic passage continues to say that once justice is enacted wickedness will be obliterated (as in the blessing for the obliteration of evil), which leads to the prosperity of the righteous (in the following blessing), which leads to the building of Jerusalem, which leads to coming of Mashiah.
We thus see, according to this passage, that the in-gathering of exiles is a key primary step, of a number of steps, to our Redemption. It is also important to note that the first step in this process is linked to the first blessing in the Amida, the blessing of the Patriarchs. Indeed, God will "remember the kindness" of these Holy Ones of Hebron "and will bring a Redeemer for his Name's sake with love." It is also "with love", stemming from the realization of our common Patriarchal roots with all Jews that unity and peace are possible (see Ramak in Tomer Devorah 1 - "asher nishbata laavoteinu"), for "Elijah (coming with Mashiah) does not come to push off or accept (people), but rather to make peace in the world."
Real-life Providence story #4: "I was once hitchhiking, and was waiting for a considerable amount of time more than usual. I had been praying that I get a ride soon, when I decided to tell my daughter to pray too. She said: "We already prayed, dad". To her I answered that the Torah teaches us in the verse "hope unto God... and hope unto God" that if not answered one should pray again. Immediately as I said the words of this verse a car stopped to give us a ride."
The connection of Torah's judicial system to the Holy Presence may explain more deeply the meaning of the Talmud's statement in Megila 17b which explains the juxtaposition of the blessing for the in-gathering of exiles to the return of Torah's judicial system among the 18 blessings in our Amida prayer: "once the exiles are in-gathered justice is executed upon the wicked as it says (Isaiah 1), 'I will return my Hand upon you (referring to the return of Exiles) and will purge... your filth' and it says (subsequently) 'and I will return your judges as first'".
The Zohar 2, 79b explicitly states that the return of the Shechina is dependent on the return of Israel to their Land. Based on the fore-mentioned Talmudic passage and the Zohar's statement we may understand how first the Shechina will return with the return of the People to the Land, thus giving inspiration and power for the courts to enact justice. The fore-mentioned Talmudic passage continues to say that once justice is enacted wickedness will be obliterated (as in the blessing for the obliteration of evil), which leads to the prosperity of the righteous (in the following blessing), which leads to the building of Jerusalem, which leads to coming of Mashiah.
We thus see, according to this passage, that the in-gathering of exiles is a key primary step, of a number of steps, to our Redemption. It is also important to note that the first step in this process is linked to the first blessing in the Amida, the blessing of the Patriarchs. Indeed, God will "remember the kindness" of these Holy Ones of Hebron "and will bring a Redeemer for his Name's sake with love." It is also "with love", stemming from the realization of our common Patriarchal roots with all Jews that unity and peace are possible (see Ramak in Tomer Devorah 1 - "asher nishbata laavoteinu"), for "Elijah (coming with Mashiah) does not come to push off or accept (people), but rather to make peace in the world."
Real-life Providence story #4: "I was once hitchhiking, and was waiting for a considerable amount of time more than usual. I had been praying that I get a ride soon, when I decided to tell my daughter to pray too. She said: "We already prayed, dad". To her I answered that the Torah teaches us in the verse "hope unto God... and hope unto God" that if not answered one should pray again. Immediately as I said the words of this verse a car stopped to give us a ride."
