The Torah portion of Mishpatim follows the giving of the Torah at Sinai. It contains over fifty different laws spanning the breadth of Jewish life from laws between man and God, between man and man, individual responsibility and legal punishment, ritual practice, moral strictures, agricultural laws and holiday observance. It is one of three portions that contain so many laws and as such is studied extensively in order to glean the foundations of Jewish life and law.
The portion begins: “And these are the ordinances you shall place before them” (Exodus 21:1). In my estimation, one of the most important Rashis of the entire Torah explains the words “that you shall place before them” in the following manner: “God said to Moses – don’t think to yourself that I will teach them the laws two or three times until they have memorized them and I don’t have to bother to explain to them the deeper reasons and explanations. Therefore it says “you shall place before them,” like a set table ready for eating before man.”
In other words, it is not enough to teach people what to do without explaining the deeper reasons and ideas contained in the laws of the Torah. This may seem obvious and self evident, but unfortunately in the last few generations the vast majority of Jews were taught in a way that barely explained what the Torah teaches let alone the reasons.
When young people are taught in such a superficial manner their conclusion in most cases is that the Torah really doesn’t have anything relevant to say to me as an individual or to society in the contemporary world. In a technological and communications driven world how can Torah be seen to be relevant when it is presented in a one dimensional, flat way, without its deeper meanings and wisdom revealed in such a manner that it can be seen to speak to every sector of modern life.
In addition, the Jewish soul longs for spiritual content and those teachings that will connect him or her to God and the essence of one’s soul. Human beings seek purpose and direction and when it is not found close to home, they either seek it out in other places or give up the search altogether. Even those raised religiously can be turned off with a rote, uninspired presentation of Torah.
The word used by Rashi for the reasons of the Torah, ta’amei, is the same word for taste. Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to teach that the Torah has to be taught and lived in a manner that leaves a good taste in people’s mouths. The land of Israel is called the land flowing with milk and honey. The Torah is so sweet when served on a set table ready for the eating, a variable feast for the soul.
Reb Shlomo used to explain that at the Seder on Pesach night we don’t eat after the afikomen, the last piece of matzah of the night, in order that the taste of the Seder should accompany us throughout the year.
We are taught that this same word, ta’amei, is the depths of the Torah the Messiah will teach the Jewish people and ultimately the entire world. We can see that there is a world wide fascination now with Kabbalah and the Jewish mystic tradition. As we come closer to the Messianic age the longing of Jews and non-Jews for what the inner dimensions of the Torah can teach us will become more and more pronounced. May we merit to the time when the secrets of the Torah will be revealed to all the world, ushering a real “new age” of world peace and revelation of God’s light.
