Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

105
Mishpatim
Commandments and Mishpatim
”םהינפל םישת רשא םיטפשמה הלאו“
Akiva Maresky
This week’s parsha teaches us all about the םיטפשמ – the laws governing interpersonal
relationships. This comes right after last week’s parsha, which ends with the Ten
Commandments. Rashi (21:1) teaches that the word “הלאו“ comes to add on to what
was mentioned previously. Just like the Ten Commandments were given at Har Sinai,
so too were the םיטפשמ. But the Chizkuni has a problem with this. In רהב תשרפ (Vayikra
25:1), Rashi tells us that all of the commandments were given at Har Sinai. If so, what
is so special about the םיטפשמ !?
When children are first introduced to Talmud Study, there is a minhag to teach them
the laws of damages, monetary issues, slaves etc; all that is taught in this week’s parsha.
Rav Yisrael Salanter zt’l, whose yartzheit is םיטפשמ תשרפ תבש ברע, gives an explanation
why this is done. He explains that these laws are not instinctively ingrained in the
human conscience, and it is therefore necessary to teach them to children at a young
age, before they become accustomed to other modes of thought.
The Ramban teaches that the םיטפשמ come to elaborate on the Ten Commandments.
We now know the commandments, but we would not know how to apply them
without the םיטפשמ. The Ramban explains that םיטפשמה הלאו corresponds to the last
commandment; “דומחת אל“ (thou shall not covet). If one does not know the laws of
possessions or fields, he will surely covet them and think that he could just take them.