Mishpatim – Page 4 – Peninim on the Torah

אם ענה תענה אתו כי אם צעק יצעק אלי שמע אשמע צעקתו

If you dare cause him pain…! – For if he shall cry out to Me, I shall surely hear his outcry. (22:22)

Causing pain to a person whose life is wretched, who stares misery in the face each and every day, is wrong – regardless of one’s motivation. Sometimes, a person’s intentions are noble. He is acutely aware that the individual who is suffering might well put his suffering behind him, if he would only pray with greater devotion. Some people need to be up against the wall with little or no hope for salvation before they pray like there is no tomorrow. They must feel that it is all over; there is no way out; there is no tomorrow. Only then,…

Home -> 5778 -> Mishpatim

ואנשי קדש תהיון לי

Roberto Szerer In Mishpatim, 5778

And men of a holy calling shall you be to Me. (22:30)

The Torah does not say anashim kedoshim, holy men; rather, it says anshei kodesh, men of a holy calling. Not all men can achieve the apex of kedushah, holiness, but all men can – and should – live as individuals who are charged with a Heavenly mission to achieve holiness. Our goal must be to become holy. Kedoshim tiyehu, “Be holy!” would then be interpreted: as strive for holiness; imbue your life with kedushah; attempt to reach the level whereby you are sanctified. Demanding personal holiness might be difficult for the individual. Expecting everyone to strive for holiness, to focus…

Home -> 5778 -> Mishpatim

לא תשמע שמע שוא

Roberto Szerer In Mishpatim, 5778

Do not accept a futile report. (23:1)

Growing up, one of the easiest types of tests to ace was the “true” or “false” quiz. After all, it was either true or false. Growing up, the distinction between true or false was perceived as quite simple: it was no different than yes or no. Moving on from there, we assume that something which has been proven correct or real is considered true, while something which has failed to be proven true is false. Obviously, there are areas in which this does not prove correct, since a claim that has not been credited as true does not necessarily mean…

Home -> 5778 -> Mishpatim

וקבצנו יחד

Roberto Szerer In Mishpatim, 5778

v’kabtzeinu yachad. And gather us together.

Horav Shimon Schwab, zl, explains that the dispersment of our people during the long, bitter years of our galus, exile, is not only physical-geographical, but also ideological. This means that: the non-observant element of our nation does not understand those who are religious; and those who are observant are divided and subdivided even among themselves. We pray for the day when all factions of Klal Yisrael will come together in recognizing Hashem; those who presently are unpracticing will practice, and those who have varied approaches to serving Hashem will coalesce under one banner of understanding Torah as our only guideline…

Home -> 5777 -> Mishpatim

ורצע אדניו את אזנו במרצע ועבדו לעלם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5777

And his master shall bore through his ear with the awl; He then serves his master forever. (21:6)

Why was the ear selected over any other limb of the body? Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai explains that, if the ear heard at Har Sinai, “You shall not steal!” and the owner of that ear none- the-less went ahead and stole, his ear should be pierced. Why should the ear be singled out, given that the hands and feet were involved in an act of theft? They should be pierced! It is almost as if the ear was held responsible for the theft. Horav Tzvi Pesach Frank, zl, explains that the Giving of the Torah was not a one-time, isolated…

Home -> 5777 -> Mishpatim

ורצע אדניו את אזנו במרצע

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5777

And his master shall bore through his ear with the awl. (21:6)

Rashi quotes the well-known statement of Chazal, “The ear that heard at Har Sinai Lo signov, you shall not steal, and this one went and stole – it should be pierced with an awl.” The question is obvious: Is it not late for the reminder concerning Lo signov? The man stole six years ago. He did not have the money to pay his debt. As a result, he was sold into slavery for six years. Now, he seeks to extend his servitude. After all, he is happy here – nice boss, nice wife, nice children. Why ruin it all and…

Home -> 5777 -> Mishpatim

וגנב איש ומכרו ונמצא בידו...מות יומת

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5777

One who kidnaps a man and sells him, and he was found to have been in his power, shall surely be put to death. (21:16)

Who would kidnap a fellow Jew? It would have to be someone who is depraved, an individual to whom human life has no meaning, certainly not someone who would refer to himself as an observant Jew. So we think. We must take into account that when one’s life is threatened, especially when it means the possibility of losing one’s own child, when the stakes reach such epic proportion – a person’s mind becomes clouded and the rationality of his decisions become suspect. In other words, when it is “me” or “you” – it is not going to be “me.” The…

Home -> 5777 -> Mishpatim

אם במחתרת ימצא הגנב והכה ומת אין לו דמים. אם זרחה השמש עליו דמים לו שלם ישלם. אם אין לו ונמכר בגניבתו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5777

If the thief will be found in an underground passage, and he is struck and dies, there is no blood for him. If the sun shone upon him, he has blood, he shall pay; if he has nothing, he shall be sold for his theft. (22:1,2)

It seems quite simple. A person breaks into a house at night, indicating by his covert approach that he does not want to be discovered. Thus, his life has no value, because he would murder in order to protect his identity. On the other hand, the thief that steals by light of day presents less of a danger to the owner of the house. Therefore, when he is caught, he pays. If he is unable to pay, he is sold into slavery. The halachah that an indigent thief is sold into slavery is not exclusive to ba b’machteres, one who…

Home -> 5777 -> Mishpatim

כל אלמנה ויתום לא תענון. אם ענה תענה אתו כי אם צעק יצעק אלי שמע אשמע צעקתו.

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5777

You shall not persecute any widow or orphan. If you will persecute him…for if he will cry out to Me, I shall surely hear his cry. (22:21,22)

Hashem issues a guarantee: If the widow or orphan cry out to Him, He will listen to their cries. Understandably, the widow and orphan are among the loneliest people in our society. Does this mean that they should be guaranteed access to Hashem over everyone else? Horav Tzvi Partzovitz, Shlita, quotes Chazal (Rosh Hashanah 18a) who say the following: Two men went up to the scaffold, each about to be executed; or two men went to the executioner to have his head severed from the rest of his body. One succeeds in leaving, while the other falls victim to the…

Home -> 5777 -> Mishpatim

ותחת רגליו כמעשה לבנת הספיר וכעצם השמים לטוהר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5777

And under His feet was like a brick work of sapphire, and an appearance of the Heavens in their brilliance. (24:10)

The Torah relates that Klal Yisrael accepted the Torah amid a resounding declaration of Naaseh v’Nishma, “We will do and we will listen.” Following this, Moshe Rabbeinu, Aharon HaKohen, his sons and the seventy Elders were privy to an unparalleled revelation of Hashem. This was a prophetic vision in which they visualized Hashem sitting on His Holy Throne (Ibn Ezra explains that they saw Hashem’s “back”). Under His feet was like a brick work of sapphire and an appearance of the Heavens in their brilliance. Rashi says that the brick work was in Hashem’s Presence during the Jews’ enslavement, so…

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Back to Home -> Mishpatim ->

אם ענה תענה אתו כי אם צעק יצעק אלי שמע אשמע צעקתו

If you dare cause him pain…! – For if he shall cry out to Me, I shall surely hear his outcry. (22:22)

ואנשי קדש תהיון לי

And men of a holy calling shall you be to Me. (22:30)

לא תשמע שמע שוא

Do not accept a futile report. (23:1)

וקבצנו יחד

v’kabtzeinu yachad. And gather us together.

ורצע אדניו את אזנו במרצע ועבדו לעלם

And his master shall bore through his ear with the awl; He then serves his master forever. (21:6)

ורצע אדניו את אזנו במרצע

And his master shall bore through his ear with the awl. (21:6)

וגנב איש ומכרו ונמצא בידו...מות יומת

One who kidnaps a man and sells him, and he was found to have been in his power, shall surely be put to death. (21:16)

אם במחתרת ימצא הגנב והכה ומת אין לו דמים. אם זרחה השמש עליו דמים לו שלם ישלם. אם אין לו ונמכר בגניבתו

If the thief will be found in an underground passage, and he is struck and dies, there is no blood for him. If the sun shone upon him, he has blood, he shall pay; if he has nothing, he shall be sold for his theft. (22:1,2)

כל אלמנה ויתום לא תענון. אם ענה תענה אתו כי אם צעק יצעק אלי שמע אשמע צעקתו.

You shall not persecute any widow or orphan. If you will persecute him…for if he will cry out to Me, I shall surely hear his cry. (22:21,22)

ותחת רגליו כמעשה לבנת הספיר וכעצם השמים לטוהר

And under His feet was like a brick work of sapphire, and an appearance of the Heavens in their brilliance. (24:10)

YEARS

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

You have Successfully Subscribed!