MISHPATIM 2001

What a letdown!  In the last Torah portion, Yisro, we learn how the Jewish people had a mystical experience of G‑d.  They felt His presence.  They were close to Him.  They were elevated.  In this Torah portion, Mishpatim, we learn mundane laws about indentured servants, about damages, civil laws.  It is only at the end of this Torah portion that we learn about another mystical experience that the elders and Nodov and Avihu had when they beheld Gds throne, and they saw brickwork of sapphires beneath it.  Rashi emphasizes this point by saying, "V'Ayla."  The first word of this Torah portion says, "And these are the laws," and he says the means this Torah portion is attached to the previous Torah portion, that somehow this great mystical experience of apprehending Gad is related to these mundane laws.

Also, today is Parshas Shkolim.  Almost every year Parshas Shkolim coincides with the Torah portion Mishpatim.  Why should this be so?  We know that Pesach was the most popular Jewish holiday when the Temple stood, and it still is today.  More Jews in America have a seder than come to shul on Yom Kippur, and we know that this is true in Israel, too, today.  Jews came by the millions to Jerusalem to celebrate Pesach.  In fact, a Roman emperor wanted to know how any Jews came up to Jerusalem for Passover, so he ordered that all the kidneys of the paschal lamb be counted.  They counted 600,000 kidneys.  Now if you say they counted only one kidney per lamb and there was an average of ten people per seder, that means there were six million people in Jerusalem for Pesach.  If you say they counted both kidneys of the lamb, then there were three million people.  That's a lot of people.  Archeologists have found camping sites all around Jerusalem which could accommodate all these people.  They Temple had to be spick and span for Pesach, and Jerusalem had to have the necessary improvements every year to accommodate this many people.  Every year half a shekel was collected from every family, from every adult male.  This money was used for the community sacrifices which were offered in the Temple twice a day.  Every year, new money was collected during the month of Adar, and starting on the month of Nisan, this money was used to buy the communal sacrifices.  Every Jewish family had to be part of these sacrifices.  Every Jew was to be part of the collective.  No one was to be left out.  All the money that was left over from the previous year was used to fix the Temple and for improvements in Jerusalem.  On the first of Adar, the call went out to give you half a shekel.  By the 15th of Adar, collectors would go to every city to collect, and by the 25th of Adar, if you had not paid, they would put a lien on your property.  Why, though, was only a half a shekel collected?  Why not a full shekel?

The rabbis say that this half a shekel was an atonement for the sin of the golden calf, and since they only sinned half a day, some rabbis say they only had to give a half a shekel.  Other rabbis say no.  The reason they only had to give half a shekel was because the women did not sin with the golden calf.  Therefore, since a family is composed of a man and a woman, only half a shekel is required.  Other rabbis say no, that the reason is for us to accomplish anything, we have to united with others.  It is only by uniting our energies with others that we can accomplish anything in this world.  We can at most only get half the job done.

When Moshe was told about how this half a shekel was to bring atonement and was to allow the Jewish people to elevate themselves spiritually, he could not understand it.  Such a little bit of money could elevate them?  G‑d showed him a fiery coin to demonstrate that this coin represented spiritual growth.  It represented working together.  It represented elevating spiritual relationships.  It is only when the people can relate to each other correctly that they can achieve a higher spiritual plane.  In fact, the word "judges" in this Torah portion is Elohim, which is the same word used for the name of GA.  When judges judge correctly and with justice, then interpersonal relationships flower, and man each reach up and have relationships with G‑d.

It is not accidental that immediately after we learn about the Jewish people receiving the Ten Commandments and this great uplifting spiritual experience, we learn about mundane laws.  This is to teach us that it is not hard to have a spiritual experience.  All we have to do is make sure we have correct interpersonal relationships.  If we have correct interpersonal relationships, then we can reach up to G‑d easily.

That is why in this Torah portion we learn about how people are to react one with another.  We learn about proper male/female relationships, about proper business relationships, about proper civil relationships.  In fact, in the Gemora Babakama, we learn how it says if you want to be a pious person, learn about civil law and damages.  In yeshivas even today, we hardly ever learn the gemoras which deal with the holidays or Shabbat.  What we learn about is civil law and the laws of interpersonal relationships, the laws between men and women.  In fact, the first gemora that is usually taught to children is Elul Metzius, which deals with a finding lost objects and when and how to return them.

Judaism teaches us it is not hard to have a spiritual relationship with G‑d.  We do not have to go into the desert or get involved with all sorts of meditative exercises.  These may help, but only after you have wonderful interpersonal relationships.  The way to have a good spiritual relationships is to get married and have a family, and if that is not possible, get involved with the community, work for good causes, be an active member of the shul, be part of the community in a positive, active way.  If you have positive, wonderful human relationships, you will be able to have great spiritual experiences, but if your interpersonal relationships are unjust or cruel, you will have a hard time having a spiritual experience and being able to elevate yourself and reach up to G‑d.

I am reminded of the story about a man who every time he drank coffee had a terrible piercing, stabbing sensation in his right eye.  He didn't know what to do.  He went to his doctor, and the doctor examined him and said, "I have an easy solution to your problem."  The man asked what it was.  The doctor said, "Please take the spoon out of your coffee cup before you drink."  It is not hard to have a spiritual experience.  The answer is easy.  All we have to do is learn how to relate to each other in a positive way.  We have to get married, if we can, have a family, if we can, join a community, be a part of organizations which do good.  If we do this, we can have a spiritual experience.  Let us hope and pray that we will all do so so the Mashiach will come quickly in our day.  Amen.