Mishpatim
“Revealing Hidden Praise”[1]
Parshas Mishpatim 5783
לזכר נשמת אסתר תהלה בת ר’ גבריאל פינחס
Based on “Erev Shabbos Parsha Inspiration” by Rabbi Phillip Moskowitz[2]
Written by Rabbi Dani Staum[3]
A few months ago, for a period, I sent out weekly divrei Torah from the lectures of Rabbi Philip Moskowitz of Boca Raton Synagogue.
I came across Rabbi Moskowitz’s lectures on YUTorah and through reading the Boca Raton Synagogue’s newsletter, and was very inspired. (I had begun receiving the BRS newsletter after I began listening to and being inspired by the shiurim of Rabbi Efrem Goldberg.) I began listening to Rabbi Moskowitz’s weekly 3 ideas in 30 minutes on the parsha every Sunday morning. It was a great way to start my week with a focus on the parsha.
But then new shiurim stopped being posted.
I was informed that Rabbi Moskowitz’s young daughter Esti was in need of a refuah. I began to transcribe some of Rabbi Moskowitz’s divrei Torah and disseminate them in her zechus.
Painfully and sadly, this week Esti Moskowitz a”h passed away. With a heavy and pained heart for a girl I never had the privilege to know, yet feel so connected with, I send these divrei Torah in her memory.
May Hashem comfort the BRS community and particularly the Moskowitz family. May Hashem give Rabbi Moskowitz the strength to continue inspiring so many through his passionate love of Torah and Klal Yisroel, together with his wife and family. May the Moskowitz family enjoy simchos and nachas and only wonderful occasions in the future.
בלע המות לנצח ומחה ה”א דמעה מעל כל פנים…
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Parshas Mishpatim has many laws relating to daily living. Within those laws are many timeless lessons as well:
The Torah states that you will see the donkey of your enemy crouching beneath his load, וחדלת מעזב לו (Shemos 23:5) Rashi translates those words as a rhetorical question – will you stop from helping him? Surely not! Rather, עזב תעזב עמו – you shall help him.”
Rashi explains that this understanding of the word עזב as referring to helping is based on a pasuk in Sefer Nechemia.
The difficulty with this understanding is that the word עזב is generally translated to mean “forsake”, to leave something behind, and not support it. The way Rashi understands as helping isn’t the general understanding of the word.
The Bechor Shor explains that indeed עזב means to forsake. The storage is teaching us an invaluable piece of advice: When you see the donkey of your enemy crouching under its load, will you not let go of your resentment and the hatred you harbor in your heart towards him? Rather, עזב תעזב – let go of that hatred so that you can be with him and assist him!
People suffer so much from harboring resentments against others, at times for years and years. It’s said that allowing resentment to fester is like letting someone you despise live in your head rent-free.
Often, I speak to people who have family feuds for years, and won’t speak to certain relatives or attend their simchos. When I ask them how it all started, they can’t even remember what it was, or they say that it was something petty that got blown out of proportion.
This week we welcome the month of Adar. משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה. If you want to have more simcha, get past personal grievances. Let go of the pettiness and feel happier.
The Torah teaches that a Jewish slave will be enslaved for six years and go free in the seventh. If in the seventh year he decides that he wants to stay, his ear is pierced and ועבדו לעלם (Shemos 21:6).
The literal translation of those words is that he shall work (be enslaved) forever. Rashi notes that forever refers to the Yovel year. When Yovel arrives the Jewish slave is freed, even if he wants to remain longer.
Rabbi Yaakov Tzvi Mecklenburg, the Haksav V’hakabalah[4], explains that the word עולם is actually an expression of growth. The word עולם is rooted in the word על – upwards, something that is above.
A young child is called an עלם (the Torah refers to a young Miriam watching to see what would happen to Moshe as an עלמה – Shemos 2:8) because children are in a growth stage of life.
Anyone in a stage of upward mobility and striving higher can be described as being in a state of עולם.
The world is referred to as an עולם because it is a place of potential growth and improvement in this world. Trees, flowers, and nature generally are always growing.
The slave has been somewhat stunted regarding his own spiritual growth because he was under the dominion and direction of others. But Yovel is his chance to grow personally. He has a chance to reset his life and grow in his contribution to the world. ועבדו לעלם – it’s his time to break free of his spiritual stunting and achieve personal growth.
This is a reminder to all of us that we are in this עולם to be b’nei aliyah, people who are always seeking and striving for growth.
One of the important interpersonal laws we are enjoined to adhere to is מדבר שקר תרחק – from falsehood keep a distance (Shemos 23:7). This is the obligation that we keep our word and maintain our integrity.
Why does the Torah phrase it in this way? We aren’t told to keep away from pork or keep away from idolatry or murder. Why doesn’t the Torah say that we should be honest?
Ibn Ezra understands that we are being told that we have to be proactive when it comes to matters of honesty. It’s not enough to not lie; we have to stay away from falsehood, by actively seeking truth.
We can suggest another approach: Often the truth isn’t so clear. Two people can view the same event and interpret it completely differently. Each perceives it based on his own past experiences and biases.
Open any news outlet on any given day and then open up another news outlet from across the political spectrum. Both will present the same events, but in the opposite vein, filtered through their own political leanings and preconceived biases.
Perhaps that’s why the Torah says to be extra careful and to err on the side of caution regarding honesty. It’s not a clear directive not to lie, as much as it is a recognition that there are times when the truth is murky, and things are anything but black and white. It may be difficult to discern what is really correct. The Torah enjoins us to distance ourselves from assumptions and half-truths.
Sadly, we violate this all the time. We hear a partial rumor and accept it as fact. We judge people based on their dress or choices they make. We are convinced that we know the whole story when we really have no idea.
It’s not enough to be honest. A person has to distance himself from falsehood and notions we develop through our misjudgments and lack of knowledge.
We can’t rush to judge. Like our sages say in Avos (1:1) one must be patient and deliberate in judgement. That is something every one of us has to work towards.
These are three beautiful and practical ideas from the Parsha:
If we want to feel Simcha עזב תעזב – Let go of the negativity and resentments that we harbor. ועבדו לעולם always remember that the goal is to be in a constant state of growth. We don’t always know the full truth. It’s hard to ascertain the real truth and we have to patient and not be quick to make assumptions but looking to know the full depth and truth of what we see.
- Hidden Praise is the loose meaning of Esther Tehilla, in whose memory these divrei Torah were transcribed. ↑
- “Parshas Shoftim: 3 ideas in 30 minutes”, February 12, 2021, posted on YUTorah. https://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/989594/rabbi-philip-moskowitz/parshas-mishpatim-3-ideas-in-30-minutes/ ↑
- Stamtorah@gmail.com ↑
- Rav Mecklenburg’s goal was to defend rabbinic Judaism. One of the ways he accomplished that is by highlighting certain points in the text of Chumash that may otherwise have not been noticed. It is a generally under-appreciated work, partially because it’s wordy. ↑