Mishpatim-‫משפטים‬: Judgments
Torah: Exodus 21:1-24:18
Haftarah: Jeremiah 34:8-22; 33:25-26
Gospels: Matthew 5:38-48, 15:1-20;
Hebrews 9:15-22, 10:28-39
Psalms: Psalm 18,72,119 (Kaf, Lamed)
Additional: Matthew 1,2,3
Fun Facts about Mishpatim
•
•
•
•
•
18th of 54 portions
6th of 11 in Shemot
Written on 185 lines in a Torah
31st in length
Mishpatim contains 53 of the 613
mitzvot;
• 23 positive and 30 prohibitions;
.
Fun Facts about Mishpatim
•
•
•
•
•
18th of 54 portions
6th of 11 in Shemot
Written on 185 lines in a Torah
31st in length
Mishpatim contains 53 of the 613
mitzvot;
• 23 positive and 30 prohibitions;
.
How is the Haftarah like
Mishpatim?
• “ 8This is the word that came unto Jeremiah
from YHVH, after that the king Zedekiah
had made a covenant with all the people
which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim
liberty unto them; 9That every man should
let his manservant, and every man his
maidservant, being an Hebrew or an
Hebrewess, go free; that none should
serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his
brother.” Jeremiah 34:8-9
.
How is the Haftarah like
Mishpatim?
• “ 8This is the word that came unto Jeremiah
from YHVH, after that the king Zedekiah
had made a covenant with all the people
which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim
liberty unto them; 9That every man should
let his manservant, and every man his
maidservant, being an Hebrew or an
Hebrewess, go free; that none should
serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his
brother.” Jeremiah 34:8-9
.
How is the Haftarah like
Mishpatim?
• “ 8This is the word that came unto Jeremiah
from YHVH, after that the king Zedekiah
had made a covenant with all the people
which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim
liberty unto them; 9That every man should
let his manservant, and every man his
maidservant, being an Hebrew or an
Hebrewess, go free; that none should
serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his
brother.” Jeremiah 34:8-9
.
What is the theme of
Mishpatim?
• Exodus 21:1, “Now these are the
judgments which thou shalt set
before them.”
.
What is the theme of
Mishpatim?
• Exodus 21:1, “Now these are the
judgments which thou shalt set
before them.”
.
How does the institution of biblical
slavery differ from the world?
• Exodus 21:2-3, “2If thou buy an Hebrew
servant, six years he shall serve: and in
the seventh he shall go out free for
nothing. 3If he came in by himself, he shall
go out by himself: if he were married, then
his wife shall go out with him.”
.
Why would anyone commit
themselves to life long service?
• Exodus 21:4-5, “4If his master have given
him a wife, and she have born him sons
or daughters; the wife and her children
shall be her master's, and he shall go out
by himself. 5And if the servant shall
plainly say, I love my master, my wife,
and my children; I will not go out free:”
.
Why would Torah
condone selling daughters?
• Exodus 21:7-8, “And if a man sell his
daughter to be a maidservant, she shall
not go out as the menservants do. 8If she
please not her master, who hath betrothed
her to himself, then shall he let her be
redeemed: to sell her unto a strange
nation he shall have no power, seeing he
hath dealt deceitfully with her.”
.
Is it justice or vengeance?
• Exodus 21:24-26, “Eye for eye, tooth for
tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25Burning for burning, wound for wound,
stripe for stripe. 26And if a man smite the
eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid,
that it perish; he shall let him go free for
his eye's sake.”
.
Why should I be so concerned
about widows and orphans?
• Exodus 22:22-24, “Ye shall not afflict any
widow, or fatherless child. 23If thou afflict
them in any wise, and they cry at all unto
me, I will surely hear their cry; 24And My
wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with
the sword; and your wives shall be
widows, and your children fatherless.”
.
Do all of these laws pertain to
me today?
• Exodus 22:26-27, “If thou at all take thy
neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt
deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth
down: 27For that is his covering only, it is
his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he
sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he
crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am
gracious.”
.
What difference does it make
about “when” I do the right thing?
• Exodus 22:29, “Thou shalt not delay to
offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy
liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou
give unto Me.”
.
Why does God expect me
to help my enemies?
• Exodus 23:4-5, “If thou meet thine
enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou
shalt surely bring it back to him again. 5If
thou see the ass of him that hateth thee
lying under his burden, and wouldest
forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help
with him.”
.
I only have to remember
Shabbat to keep it holy, right?
•
.
Exodus 23:12, “Six days thou shalt do
thy work, and on the seventh day thou
shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass
may rest, and the son of thy handmaid,
and the stranger, may be refreshed.”
Why were we given the law?
•
.
Galatians 3:19, “What then is the law? It
was added because of transgressions, till
the seed should come to whom the
promise hath been made; and it was
ordained through angels by the hand of a
mediator.
Why were we given the law?
•
.
Galatians 3:19, “What then is the law? It
was added because of transgressions, till
the seed should come to whom the
promise hath been made; and it was
ordained through angels by the hand of a
mediator.
Summary
• YHVH legislates the laws of the indentured
servant
• YHVH establishes the penalties for
murder, kidnapping, assault and theft
• YHVH establishes civil damages, granting
of loans, & code of conduct of judicial law,
how to treat foreigners, observance of
festivals, Temple gifts, a dietary law and
prayer.
.
Summary
• We show our fruit, the nature of our
relationship with Him by the nature of our
relationship with others
• He promises to bring us to the Promised
Land
• Moses goes up to receive the Torah
.