Parashat Mishpatim (Exodus 21-24)
Exodus 21
21:1 Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
Comments: After the giving of the 10 commandments, Gd taught many detailed laws.
“judgments”: mishpatim in Hebrew, means Torah laws that make common sense. https://torah.org/torah-portion/ravfrand-5757-behar/
This is in contrast to chukim (“ordinances”, such as the red cow in Numbers 19) which transcend human wisdom.
However, even “judgments” in Torah may differ from the “common sense” of the present days. For example v.21:15 says “And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.” V. 21:17 says “And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.” These punishments are more severe than the laws of the present days. The Torah seems to aim for achieving a higher standard, whereby, for example, children invariably honor their parents properly.
Exodus 22
22:25 If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.
Comment: Providing a loan without interest, this is regarded as the highest level of charity in Jewish culture, and is valued even higher than giving out money freely. The goal is to help the recipient to be eventually free from the need of financial assistance. See, e.g., https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/879887/jewish/Interest-Free-Loans.htm
Exodus 23
23:28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
Comment: If our enemies were driven out by our fighting, we could have something to boast about, such as our bravery, or wise tactics, or strength (even though all these advantages that we have were given by Gd also). When Gd sends “hornets” to drive out our enemies, we have nothing to boast about ourselves.
It often happens that we as Gd’s people succeed in a way that we can boast nothing about ourselves. To give a simple example, Jeremy Lin, a devout Christian, played excellent basketball during the 2012 season. However, he didn’t win the NBA championship until 2019, when he was traded to Toronto in the middle of the season, and only played occasionally as a reserve in the championship games. So things turn out in a way that Jeremy cannot boast about his NBA championship or his basketball talents. However, we can still recognize Gd’s grace on him, because many more talented players have never won a championship. I can also attest to this with my own academic successes, that they were often achieved in a “not-so-shining” way. This way, I could be reminded that my successes were all due to Gd’s grace, and all glory should be ascribed to Gd.
Exodus 24
24:14 And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.
Comment: In the Jewish tradition, Hur was a son of Miriam (the sister of Moses). He was an important leader of the Israelites, who supported Moses’s arms during his prayer, together with Aaron, in Exodus 17. Hur’s activity is never mentioned again in the Bible after the current verse. According to the Jewish tradition, Hur would soon be killed about 40 days later, when he disagreed with the people who worshiped the Golden Calf. See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hur_(Bible)