Torah from Beis Kret - Nirtza - "Choose the Right Master"

This past Thursday night my Chavrusa piously decided to help a person in need by learning Hilchos Brachos/Pirkei Avos with him. This awarded me a "night seder" to see a few pieces on this past weeks Parsha.... Efmeister, shkoich!

One of these pieces was by the "Baal Haturim on the Parsha" (Parenthetically, the Tur, who was most famous for his work, the Arba Turim, was the son of the Rosh).

Getting back to the Parsha...the second topic discussed in this past weeks Parsha are the halchos regarding an Eved (a slave). When talking within the context of an Eved Ivri (Jewish slave), the Torah discusses the laws of a Nirtza, a Jewish slave who makes the personal decision that instead of going free after six years of servitude that he wants to stay with "his master" for the rest of his life (until the next jubilee year).

After pro actively making this decision to stay in servitude, the "owner", must take an awl and thrust it through his slave's right ear.

But Why? What is the significance of specifically piercing the slaves ear?!

Rashi on this pasuk answers, that this same ear that heard at Mount Sinai, "for the Children of Israel are slaves unto me."STILL Nonetheless decides to take a new master,. We therefore pierce his ear.

The Baal Haturim based on this Rashi answers, that the gematria of the word, Martzea (awl), is 400. the same as the amount of years that Klal Yisrael spent in Mitzraim.

By becoming a Nirtza this slave made the decision that he was not done with his servitude to mankind and that he had no interest in keeping the Torah that redeemed him from Egypt.

Along with the Nirtza we also were in servitude in Mitzrayim. Along with the Nirtza we also spent 40 days and 40 nights waiting to receive the Torah at Sinai. It is our responsibility as Hashem's chosen people not to make the same mistake as the Nirtza. Choose the right master.

Parshas Mishpatim - "A Human Sefer Torah"

At the beginning of this week’s Parsha, Rashi, draws a parallel between Parshas Yisro and Parshas Mishpatim. In that, just as the Ten Commandments were given at Sinai (Yisro) so were the “judgments” that are given in this week’s Parsha.

It seems rather peculiar however, that immediately after the Parsha that stated the 10 commandments we immediately jump right back into the Mitzvos. Didn’t we just list all of the Mitzvos (The 10 commandments are all encompassing!)?

The Ramban and the Sforno both answer that although it is correct that we were told the Mitzvos in last week’s Parsha, none of their specifics were mentioned. Therefore, the beginning of the Parsha discusses the proper manner to treat a friend’s property so that we do not become involved in the prohibition of, (Lo Sachmod).[ “you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”]

Shemos 21:1 “And these are the judgments that you shall place before them:”

Coming off the brink of the above Dvar Torah, one should have an idea as to why these “judgments” were mentioned right after Matan Torah, but it seems rather superfluous to say that “the judgments” were placed “before them”(Lifneihem). Of course it was placed before them! Who else could they have been placed before?

Rav Avigdor Nevenzahl answers that yes, it is obvious that they were given specifically to Klal Yisrael. It is not obvious however that these judgments have to be carried out in a Jewish Halachik judicial system. One might assume that as long as these rules are utilized and abided by, that a secular court system could use them to carry out justice. Therefore the Pasuk says, “Before them” (Lifneihem), to teach us that the only people who have the right to try such a court case are a Jewish court.

Rav Nevenzahl also analyzes another possible reason as to why the first Pasuk of this week’s Parsha states the word, Lifneihem.

At this point in the Parsha, Moshe Rabbeinu was found to be in the heavens with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. While he was there, many of the world’s secrets and solutions to its many intricacies were revealed to him. He attained a true understanding of the reason for every mitzvah and the profound meaning that each one carries. After seeing and learning all of this, Hashem eventually told Moshe, “until this point in your stay in Shamayim who have had the privilege to indulge yourself in the deepness (amkus) of the Torah, but now that you are going to be returning back down to Klal Yisroel, I now must teach you the proper way to apply my justice system back into the world.”

Therefore when the verse, “And these are the judgments that you shall place before them” is said, Hakadosh Baruch Hu was referring to the laws that are utilized on a day to day basis by the judges of Klal Yisroel, for they could definitely not understand the regulations and their profundity to the same extent as Moshe when he was in Shamayim.

But why? Why is it that the heavenly “judgments” cannot be fully comprehended by the Tzadikim and Gedolim or our time? The answer is that regardless of how big of a Talmid Chacham a person is or how pious and humble one is, they are still just a human being. And if we wonder, what place these divine Mitzvos play in our world if we cannot understand them. We can be rest assured that they are being taken care of in Shamayim ,and that Beis Din Shel Maaleh is doing all of their work.

The Gemara says in many places that the Torah was not given to Malachei Hashaares, but to humans. Although we may not have a full understanding of the incomprehensible depths of the Torah, we are also inheritors and guarantors of a four-thousand year-old tradition of Jewish life and learning. Hashem looked in the Torah and created the world, we are a physical incarnation of the depths of the Torah and all that it entails.

Just like Bnei Yisrael did in this weeks Parsha, may we all wholeheartedly make our own proclamations of Na'aseh V'nishma so that Hakadosh Baruch Hu, will speedily bring the Mashiach Bimheira Biyameinu.

HAVE A FANTASTIC SHABBOS!!!!