After the gift of the Torah at Har Sinai, Hashem imposed laws for the Jews. Some of these included the laws for owning and buying a servant, the penalties for murder, kidnapping, assault, theft, mistreatment of foreigners, the chagim, and the prohibition against cooking meat with milk. Altogether, the Parshah of Mishpatim covers 53 mitzvot.
Our Rabbis have many questions about all these rules. For example , why do the laws concerning a thief sold as a Jewish slave immediately follow the giving of the Torah?
Sometimes we forget that Hashem is the master of the world and its inhabitants, and we disobey his laws under the false assumption that he will not notice. To protect us from this misconception and emphasize that each person should strive to be a totally dedicated servant of Hashem, the laws of the Jewish slave follow the giving of the Torah. At the end of the day, we are nobody's “slaves” but Hashem’s.
By: Miriam Cohen (10th)
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