Parashat Mishpatim: How the Ten Commandments Become Daily Law

Parashat Mishpatim contains many commandments, and at first glance it is difficult to understand the connection between them or the underlying plan that unites them.

One of the central ideas of the Torah is “the few that contain the many.” A short statement in the Torah can hold within it countless ideas. A single sentence spoken by the Patriarchs becomes the foundation for complex and far-reaching events throughout history. Likewise, one brief legal statement becomes the basis upon which entire mountains of laws depend.

Mishpatim as an Expansion of the Ten Commandments

Parashat Mishpatim is an expansion of the Ten Commandments. In it, God teaches us that the Commandments are not abstract declarations, but guiding principles, each one requiring explanation and practical interpretation.

Just as the Ten Commandments open with, “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage,” so Parashat Mishpatim opens with the laws of servants. Just as the Torah says, “You know the soul of the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt,” it teaches us to read the Torah with depth and sensitivity.

God does not identify Himself in the Commandments as the One who redeemed us from Egypt by chance. That identification has meaning. Because He revealed Himself to us as the Redeemer from bondage, we are obligated to understand the soul of the stranger, the servant, and the suffering person — and this understanding must be reflected in law and halachah.

From Principles to Consequences

In the Ten Commandments it is stated, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” In Parashat Mishpatim, the conclusion of that principle is spelled out: “One who sacrifices to other gods shall be destroyed.” “You shall not” means it is impossible for such a reality to exist. A person who creates an alternative spiritual reality forfeits his right to live.

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” In Mishpatim this is explained further: judges, who are called elohim, must not pursue falsehood or empty claims.

“Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it,” and in Mishpatim the prohibition of labor is introduced, flowing directly from the sanctity of the day.

“Honor your father and your mother” is not merely a recommendation. In Mishpatim we are taught that one who curses or strikes his parents is subject to the death penalty.

Detailed Laws from Foundational Commandments

“You shall not murder.” In our parashah, this principle is expanded into detailed laws, from cases involving injury to a pregnant woman to the law of one who breaks in at night, who “has no blood guilt.”

“You shall not commit adultery” is followed in the parashah with the laws of seduction and the prohibition of relations with an animal.

“You shall not steal” is expanded in the parashah with a comprehensive system of laws protecting another person’s property, from damages to a guardian who misappropriates a deposit.

“You shall not bear false witness” refers to false testimony in court, and the parashah broadens this to include, “You shall not respond in a dispute,” forbidding distortion of justice in any form.

“You shall not covet” is explained as misusing entrusted property and the prohibition of bribery.

Endless Depth in Torah Law

From this we learn that there is no end to the depth of the Torah. Every law in Parashat Mishpatim contains within it additional laws that can be expanded and taught, just as the Torah derives the entire legal system of Mishpatim from the Ten Commandments.

If we take the first explanation of the Torah for the Commandments — the laws concerning servants, we find ten distinct laws within the laws of servants alone. Each of these laws generates further halachot, derived from every word and even every letter. From the laws derived in the Talmud, yet more laws are learned.

Three Dimensions of the Commandments

The Ten Commandments are divided into two groups of five: five spiritual laws and five laws governing relationships between people.

In Parashat Mishpatim, the Torah teaches us to divide the mitzvot into three categories:

1. Between a person and his fellow – civil laws, from the laws of servants to the laws of seduction, where there is a plaintiff and a defendant.

2. Between a person and himself – moral and spiritual refinement, the demand for holiness and ethical discipline, from the prohibition of sorcery to the prohibition of oppressing the stranger.

3. Between a person and God – the service of God, from the Sabbatical year to the prohibition of cooking a kid in its mother’s milk.

When a person completes himself in all three of these areas, he walks in the way of God.

Strength Through Threefold Structure

“By three, strength is established.” This principle is emphasized repeatedly throughout the parashah: “If he does not do these three for her,” “An ox that gored yesterday and the day before,” “Three pilgrimage festivals you shall celebrate for Me.”