B'nei Israel Congregation - San José, Costa Rica |
MISHPATIM 5765
Exodus 21:1 - 24:18
TORAH'S MESSAGE - by Rabbi Daniela Szuster
This week’s parashah is made up of all types of laws. Among them we find the following commandment: "Midebar sheker tirjak", “keep thee far from a false matter” (Shemot 23:7). Lying is a merely human “ability” that intentionally makes reality crazy. To lie means not to say the truth. Why not say it? Because it disturbs us, it doesn’t suit us, because sometimes truth distresses us. To lie is so attractive given that it breaks up the distances between our reality and our ideal. Apparently lies shorten the distances but in the end they move us further. When we lie we don’t make an effort to reach our goals anymore and our masquerade to look like what we are not ends at any moment if we don’t fall apart first.
Tradition tells that Rab Zusia all his life wanted to be like Moshe. When he died and was judged by the heavenly court, G-d didn’t ask him why he wasn’t like Moshe, but why he wasn’t Zusia. Why he lied all his life without enjoying his own qualities. Neither G-d, nor his colleagues, nor his family expected him to be like Moshe, but to be Zusia.
Although many times the modern society we live in stimulates us to lie instead of moving us away from lying as the Torah teaches us. Doubtless the way of truth is the one that dignifies us and makes us more noble, and in the long term we are happy to be who we are and to value what we possess and have gained with much effort, courage and honesty.
Shabbat Shalom
SERMON - by Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky
Last week we read from the Torah about the delivery of the Ten Commandments. This week’s parashah, Mishpatim, contains a long list of laws given to the people of Israel in the wilderness. Most of these rules are social issues, essential for organizing a society, like the one Moshe attempted to organize.
If we read carefully we will note that penal, commercial and civil rules are stated in a type of basic law manual. Indeed, these laws served as the basis for writing what we know as Hebrew Law, whose foundational books are the Mishnah and the Talmud.
One of the most outstanding laws in our parasha is: "Lo tikach shochad, ki ha-shochad yeaver pikchim visalef dibrei tzadikim", “And thou shalt take no gift; for a gift blindeth them that have sight, and perverteth the words of the righteous” (Shemot 23:8).
A fundamental characteristic for the existence of a society is that there be a fair trial, a judgment equitable for all. While the bribe exists, a society can not advance and improve.
One would think that when the Torah admonishes not to take a bribe, it is referring to the bribe used to harm an innocent person or to absolve the guilty. However Torah tells us, two verses before, that it is not allowed to wrest the judgment (Shemot 23:6). Therefore, the Talmud (Ketuvot 105b) establishes that the verse that says: “don’t accept a bribe” refers to the case when the bribe is used to judge a just cause. A judge can not accept money, gifts nor privileges from one of the contestants in a trial, although he is convinced the person is innocent. A judge must be absolutely impartial, there must be no space for the slightest suspicion.
The bribe blinds the eyes of them that have sight, says the Torah metaphorically. When a bribe is involved, our vision is not very clear. What seemed white is seen as gray and what was gray becomes black. A bribe blinds the vision of the most respectful scholars, judges, politicians and polices. Nobody is immune to it. Our best tool is the law, respect it, study it and make it be respected.
Costa Rica has recently been hit by bribe cancer, which penetrated to the deepest roots of the government. Our duty as inhabitants of this country is to demand that these events be cleaned-up and never repeated again. In the contrary, justice will loose its independent, basic, foundation of society. If there is a bribe there is no independent justice. Without independent justice we are completely unprotected, and we are turning into a sick society: one which does not care for its weakest people, but protects the most powerful ones.
Recent occurrences of denouncements and incarcerations must lead us to a deep and serious analysis of the society in which we are living. If everything is going to end in a media show, then we might have wasted our time and lost an historical opportunity. We must not allow this to happen.
Torah’s law is clear and wise. Our obligation as keepers of the Torah is to fulfill the law, fulfill the mitzvoth. In this manner, as Jews, we can make an important contribution to the society of which we are a part. It is our duty to do it.
Bribe blind them that have sight… we should not allow this society to become blind.
Shabbat Shalom!
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