“….And you shall worship Hashem, your G-d… There will be no bereaved or barren woman in your land; I will fill the number of your days…” – Shemot 23:25-26 וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֵת ה’ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם . . לֹא תִהְי’ מְשַׁכֵּלָה וַעֲקָרָה בְּאַרְצֶךָ אֶת מִסְפַּר יָמֶיךָ אֲמַלֵּא – כג, כה-כו These verses contain profound insight and guidance in the struggles that many people […]

“….But if the bondsman says, “I am fond of my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go free”…His master shall pierce his ear with an awl and he shall then serve him forever….” – Shemot 21:5-6 וְאִם אָמֹר יֹאמַר הָעֶבֶד אָהַבְתִּי אֶת אֲדֹנִי אֶת אִשְׁתִּי וְאֶת בָּנָי לֹא אֵצֵא חָפְשִׁי . . וְרָצַע אֲדֹנָיו אֶת אָזְנוֹ בַּמַּרְצֵעַ […]

“….If you buy a Hebrew slave he shall work for six years; in the seventh he shall go out to freedom without charge…” – Shemot 21:2 כִּי תִקְנֶה עֶבֶד עִבְרִי שֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים יַעֲבֹד וּבַשְּׁבִעִת יֵצֵא לַחָפְשִׁי חִנָּם – שמות כא, ב The portion of Mishpatim, which immediately follows the Torah’s account of the awesome revelation at Sinai, opens with the law […]

“….And he who did not ambush but G-d caused it to happen to him, I shall provide you a place to which he shall flee….” – Shemot 21:13 וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא צָדָה וְהָאֱלֹהִים אִנָּה לְיָדוֹ וְשַׂמְתִּי לְךָ מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יָנוּס שָׁמָּה – כא, יג  The Arizal notes that the accidental murderer is at first referred to in the third person – […]

“….And these are the ordinances that you shall place before them…” – Shemot 21:1 וְאֵלֶּה הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר תָּשִׂים לִפְנֵיהֶם – שמות כא, א The Talmud (Gittin 88b) learns from this verse that our civil disputes should be judged only “before them“—the Jewish courts, and not in the non-Jewish court system. This applies even in instances where the ruling of the […]

Even though the Torah instructs us not to hate anyone, unfortuantly sometimes we do. More than that, sometimes people hate us. How does one needs to deal with hate? – find out in this class about the Parasha Duration of class: 56:34              

“….If a bull gores…” – Shemot 21:28 וְכִי יִגַּח שׁוֹר – כא, כח The Torah demonstrates one’s liability for the damages caused by his animals with a case of someone’s bull goring killing a person or causing damage to someone’s property. In truth, however, these same laws also apply if any other animal or bird did the damage. But, as […]