Mishpatim – Page 10 – Peninim on the Torah

“You shall not persecute any widow or orphan.” (22:21)

One tear. Who can estimate the value of a tear shed by a lonely man, weeping over his sorry lot in life? Who can imagine the power and influence of a tear shed by a poor widow, bemoaning her fate, grieving over her loss, which is magnified every time she senses that vacuum in her life, the loneliness and feeling of helplessness that have now become her partner? Indeed, we cannot begin to calculate the value, the power and the influence which the tears of the broken-hearted generate. Every tear pierces through the heavens and is gathered before the Heavenly…

Home -> 5763 -> Mishpatim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5763

“You shall not revile G-d, and you shall not curse a leader among your people.” (22:27)

Words are cheap, and emotions, at times, run high. We might accidentally say something that we will regret later on. What we do not understand is that words have an effect and they might cause irreparable damage to another person, as the following story illustrates: A certain rav in Yerushalayim, a Slonimer chasid, did not have children for twenty-four years after his marriage. Ultimately, following a miraculous incident he and his wife were blessed with a child. He related that as a young man he was a student at Yeshivas Slonim in Yerushalayim. The woman who came nightly to clean…

Home -> 5763 -> Mishpatim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5763

“Distance yourself from a false word.” (23:7)

Integrity is much more than a virtue, a good character trait – it defines a human being. Indeed, there is no other negative command/transgression in the Torah where there is a special warning to distance oneself. Falsehood can swallow up a person, overwhelm him. We try to justify our lack of integrity, saying it is not really a falsehood; it is for the purpose of a mitzvah; nothing really bad will come out of it. While all this may be true, the end result is that the person has lied. A white lie today becomes a major falsehood tomorrow. Horav…

Home -> 5762 -> Mishpatim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5762

“You shall not revile G-d.” (22:27)

Chazal derive that the word Elokim is a reference both to G-d and to judges. While it is, indeed, forbidden to curse anyone, judges are often the brunt of people’s curses, since they are compelled to render judgment which is not always popular – especially in the eyes of the individual who is on the losing end of a litigation. Horav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, z.l., served for a short time as Av Beis Din, head of the court, of Horav Yehoshua Leib Diskin, z.l. Once during his incumbency, he was confronted with a bitterly disputed divorce case. He eventually ruled in…

Home -> 5762 -> Mishpatim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5762

“Distance yourself from a false word.” (23:7)

It is impossible for any human being to stand up to challenge the truth. Truth is an absolute which no one can circumvent. Ultimately, a person never suffers when he tells the truth. Indeed, one who lies only delays the inevitable. A person cannot elude the truth. His lies come back to haunt him. Regrettably, this is the way of the world – lie whenever it suits you; bend the truth, if that is what it takes. Tanna D’bei Eliyahu cites the pasuk in Mishlei 19:3, “A man’s foolishness corrupts his way.” A person should be careful to act righteously and…

Home -> 5762 -> Mishpatim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5762

“And Moshe took half of the blood and placed it in basins and half of the blood he threw upon the Mizbayach. And he took the Book of the Covenant… and they said, ‘All that Hashem has spoken we will do and we will obey.’ And Moshe took the blood and threw it upon the people.” (24:6-8)

Horav Mordechai Rogov, z.l., derives a compelling lesson from the sprinkling of the blood of the korbanos, sacrifices, at the time of the receiving of the Torah. We are being taught to defend and uphold the Torah even at such times when doing so requires that we invest our own blood and our very lives for Torah’s sake. Every drop of Jewish blood that has been spilled l’shem Shomayim, for the sake of Heaven, to defend the Torah, does not go to waste. This blood has been preserved as the lives of the living are strengthened and inspired by the lives…

Home -> 5761 -> Mishpatim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5761

“When you will buy a Hebrew servant.” (21:2)

Parashas Mishpatim deals primarily with civil and tort law. It begins with the laws regarding the eved Ivri, Hebrew slave. The Sefer HaChinuch explains that as a preamble to the laws of social justice, the Torah details the laws concerning the eved Ivri. We are to derive from here that, in order to achieve the necessary level of sanctity, the citizens of our emerging nation must exemplify compassion and act with kindness towards our fellowman. This begins with the slave whom we are to treat with extreme kindness, according him the respect a descendant of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov deserves….

Home -> 5761 -> Mishpatim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5761

“You shall not persecute any widow or orphan.” (22:21)

One tear. Who can estimate the value of a tear shed by a lonely man, weeping over his sorry lot in life? Who can imagine the power and influence of a tear shed by a poor widow, bemoaning her fate, grieving over her loss, which is magnified every time she senses that vacuum in her life, the loneliness and feeling of helplessness that have now become her partner? Indeed, we cannot begin to calculate the value, the power and the influence which the tears of the broken-hearted generate. Every tear pierces through the heavens and is gathered before the Heavenly…

Home -> 5761 -> Mishpatim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5761

“You shall not revile G-d, and you shall not curse a leader among your people.” (22:27)

Words are cheap, and emotions, at times, run high. We might accidentally say something that we will regret later on. What we do not understand is that words have an effect and they might cause irreparable damage to another person, as the following story illustrates: A certain rav in Yerushalayim, a Slonimer chasid, did not have children for twenty-four years after his marriage. Ultimately, following a miraculous incident he and his wife were blessed with a child. He related that as a young man he was a student at Yeshivas Slonim in Yerushalayim. The woman who came nightly to clean…

Home -> 5761 -> Mishpatim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5761

“Distance yourself from a false word.” (23:7)

Integrity is much more than a virtue, a good character trait – it defines a human being. Indeed, there is no other negative command/transgression in the Torah where there is a special warning to distance oneself. Falsehood can swallow up a person, overwhelm him. We try to justify our lack of integrity, saying it is not really a falsehood; it is for the purpose of a mitzvah; nothing really bad will come out of it. While all this may be true, the end result is that the person has lied. A white lie today becomes a major falsehood tomorrow. Horav…

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Back to Home -> Mishpatim ->

“You shall not persecute any widow or orphan.” (22:21)

“You shall not revile G-d, and you shall not curse a leader among your people.” (22:27)

“Distance yourself from a false word.” (23:7)

“You shall not revile G-d.” (22:27)

“Distance yourself from a false word.” (23:7)

“And Moshe took half of the blood and placed it in basins and half of the blood he threw upon the Mizbayach. And he took the Book of the Covenant… and they said, ‘All that Hashem has spoken we will do and we will obey.’ And Moshe took the blood and threw it upon the people.” (24:6-8)

“When you will buy a Hebrew servant.” (21:2)

“You shall not persecute any widow or orphan.” (22:21)

“You shall not revile G-d, and you shall not curse a leader among your people.” (22:27)

“Distance yourself from a false word.” (23:7)

YEARS

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

You have Successfully Subscribed!