Mishpatim
Exodus 21:1-24:18

   This week our Torah portion covers the first set of laws that come after the Ten Commandments. Most of these laws cover specific situations in the ancient world in which the principles behind the Ten Commandments could be applied. Theologians and bible commentators refer to this section as the “Covenant Code”.  It covers the basics of life and civil society. There are many situations and principles that we could discuss but I would like to draw our attention to just a few verses in chapter 22:22-27 you shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt .  ²² "You shall not afflict any widow or orphan.  ²³ "If you afflict him at all, and ^aif he does cry out to Me, ^bI will surely hear his cry;  ²⁴ and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, ^aand your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.  ²⁵ "^aIf you lend money to My people, to the poor ¹among you, you are not to ²act as a creditor to him; you shall not ³charge him ^binterest.  ²⁶ "If you ever take your neighbor's cloak ^aas a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets,  ²⁷ for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his ¹body. What else shall he sleep in? And it shall come about that ^awhen he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for ^bI am gracious.

     God reminds the Israelites that they are to treat others the way they have been treated by Him.  In the passage four groups of people are mentioned who are to receive mercy. They represent those people who are dwell on the margins of society. They represent people that “good folks” like you and I would not normally associate with.  The first group are foreigners. The bible calls them “strangers”. The Hebrew word is “ger” (pronounced “gair”).  Today, in the Jewish world, a “ger” is a convert to Judaism. However, in bible days, a “ger” was not considered a convert, but rather a foreign person living in the midst of the Israelites.  God reminded them that they had been “strangers” in Egypt .  God had shown mercy to the Israelites and now they were to show mercy to foreigners living with them.  Anyone living with the Israelites certainly would have had to abide by the “covenant code” of the people.  This command is not about accepting the foreign culture of the stranger. It is about being kind and merciful. We can apply this today in our own society by not discriminating against anyone who lives in our society.  Many of us have grown up in homes in which minority groups of people were put down, called by unflattering names and in general not trusted and shunned. This should never the case with followers of the God of Israel; followers of the Messiah.  The next two groups were not foreigners, but people who did not fit into the “economy” of Israel .  Widows and orphans had nowhere to go. Widows had no protection and there were no social service agencies to protect children.  These people were vulnerable. They could easily be taken advantage of by people.  The final group is simply “the poor”. They represent those who were at the mercy of lenders. In the ancient world, these vulnerable people had a very difficult time.  God tells the Israelites to be different. They are to mirror the attributes of God that the Israelites themselves had experienced.  God describes himself as “gracious”. The Hebrew word is “Chanun”. It is one of the words that is used in Ex. 34 when God reveals Himself to Moses on the mountain.  However, our Torah portion is the first place in the Bible where God is called “gracious”. It is important to understand that it occurs in the context of the laws in Exodus.  The Torah commands us to be gracious because God is gracious.

     Today, we should be showing mercy and grace to foreigners, the poor, widows and orphans. After all, God has shown us great mercy and grace in forgiving our sins; in giving us eternal life; in accepting us into his Kingdom.  As King David said after God made the covenant with him. He said “Who am I, O Lord ¹GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?” 2Sam. 7:18.  Who am I that God should redeem me from my bondage to sin? We should always be in awe of the grace shown to us.  How can we neglect those in need when God has done so much for us?  Within this covenant code is a call for us to be socially minded and to be concerned people for others.  Yeshua Himfelf told a parable about a man who had been greatly forgiven of a debt. However, rather than emulating this attitude toward others, his man refused to show mercy. In the parable, the man was judged severely.  This week, take a spiritual inventory of you attitudes and practices toward others who are less fortunate. May this little reminder spur us to action! Shabbat Shalom!