Devar Torah on Parashat Mishpatim by Jemma Salamon – Year 9

Jemma Salamon

Parashat Mishpatim focuses on laws and mitzvot. The mitzvah I am going to focus on is:

”You shall not wrong strangers or oppress them, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

The term ‘stranger’ (ger) does not mean someone you don’t know, but someone who is vulnerable and needs help. In the Torah, the ‘strangers’ (gerim) were people who came from other places, outside of the community. We are told to care for their physical and emotional needs as if they are part of the community. The Torah tells us we were welcomed into Egypt, and we are reminded of when there was a famine and the Egyptians gave us food and land. When we needed help, when we were vulnerable, the Egyptians helped us.

Today, so many years later, there are still vulnerable people who need support and help and Mishpatim reminds us of our obligations to them. When I think about who the vulnerable people are today I think there are two main groups in our community which we need to be helped and looked after, just like the Egyptians cared for us when we needed help. These groups are the refugees and the homeless.

Looking after refugees and asylum seekers is important to me because my family came to Australia as refugees and they were welcomed and helped when they needed it. I imagine that many people in Australia have had family who have come from another country and maybe they had to leave most of their precious belongings behind to keep their family and themselves safe.

Refugees leave their homes to be safe and to escape horrible memories. Some refugees will have seen their parents die or their loved ones killed. The Torah reminds us that we were all strangers in Egypt, that we were all in need as so many are today. It tells us that as Jews we should step in refugees’ shoes and try to understand what they feel like. To remember our past, how it was to need to leave our homes and safety, and how important it was that the people of the place to which we fled welcomed and cared for us.

It is very challenging for refugees when they get to their new home. I saw one small example when I went to a homework club in Blacktown for refugees. Children who come from refugee homes struggle with doing their homework, as their parents usually will not know how to speak English very well, and it made me upset to think that they weren’t able to ask their parents for help with studying and their homework.

Today refugees all around the world are escaping violence, war or famine, and the Torah reminds us of our obligation to welcome and care for the vulnerable people as this is so important to remember when you are hearing news stories about refugees.

The Torah portion also tells us to care for widows and orphans, because at the time of the Torah they were the most vulnerable groups, they had nobody to care for them. In Australia today some of the most vulnerable people are homeless people. When you think about the shelter you go home to every night and the bed you are able to sleep in, remind yourself that one in 200 people in Australia are sleeping on the streets and 17% of these people are under the age of 12. Maybe they are escaping domestic violence, or maybe their whole family has abandoned them.

When I participated in a program with Stand Up, we were all given $2 to use at the grocery shop. We were only able to buy a few vegetables and fruit, and it really made us realise how lucky we are to have so much food on our plates, while others will struggle buying food to last them for a week.

The Torah tells us to notice vulnerable people and to help them. Sometimes we forget that there are people in need all around us, and all it requires is a little bit of kindness. There are charities, volunteer centres and many amazing foundations all around Australia, and by donating and helping, you can all do something little to change the world for the better.

As a young adult in the community I hope I can change the world for the better even if it is doing the smallest thing to make someone smile.

Devar Torah on Parashat Mishpatim by Joshua Amoils – Year 11

It has been historically understood, in Rabbinic lore, that Parshiyot (Torah Portions) come in pairs; each counterpart, although different writings, complement each other’s underlying social and moral directives.

So this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Mishpatim, is an extension of last week’s portion Parashat Yitro. Last week, Liahm spoke about the receiving of the ‘aseret ha-dibrot’, which although colloquially coined the ‘Ten Commandments’, are actually nine commandments; the first one ‘I am the lord thy G-d’ is actually a preamble. So there you go, if you don’t learn anything else from this Devar Torah, at least take that with you.

Liahm also dabbled in the notion of ‘Na’aseh ve-Nishma’, ‘we will do and we will heed’.

In contrast, much of this week’s reading is focused on a variety of social and legal logistics surrounding material loans, property damage, usury, self-harm and the treatment of slaves. Very little is actually recited about the story of Exodus. We read about the peace-offerings and animal sacrifices that were conducted by the Israelites at the foot of Mt Sinai in honour of their covenant with G-d. Moses consummates this mutual agreement between humanity and G-d, affirming ‘Na’asseh ve-Nishma’, while sprinkling ox blood over the Children of Israel. The Parashah ends with Moses once again ascending the mountain to collect the Torah.

It is human nature to react to the world around us. We are beings that are dependent on constant stimuli, situations that demand of us to make choices. Judaism, like all religions, is purposed to expand our level of consciousness beyond our personal survival, providing a validation of our existence and an understanding of our fellow human being. In doing so, the individual is given an independency to make conclusive decisions based on morality, rather than temptation.

For example, think about the way a toddler thinks. We’ve all been toddlers and as we know, toddlers spend their days looking and analysing things around them. Now imagine if a toddler was offered an ice-cream, it would think for a second something along the lines of ‘Oo, yummy’ and impulsively devour the tasty treat. However, if the toddler had prior knowledge that the ice-cream was bad for them and that it wasn’t ‘right’ to eat the ice-cream, the poor child would be left with a very contentious moral dilemma.

In the same way, life presents us with situations in which we must make decisions based on our wants and our moral compass. The Jews were given the ‘aseret ha-dibrot’ and the 613 mitzvot to increase this level of consciousness of G-d, ourselves, fellow humans, animals and all that exists. The sheer extensiveness of these laws is indicative of just how fundamental awareness is in our lives as Jews.

But be cautious, I am not suggesting that the laws outlined in Mishpatim are absolute. To lead a life blindly following these directives, abiding by them solely because they are rules, is not a life of consciousness, nor understanding, defeating the purpose of religion in the first place.

Mishpatim presents us with hundreds of instructions, but fundamentally, Judaism teaches us to think critically about these laws and extract meaning from them based on thoughtful analysis. This is the definition of moral independency. We must be constant seekers to understand our existence and only then live our lives accordingly, by our values, not the other way around.

Finally, Judaism commands us to not be passive with our moral independency, but we must be intra-dependent, meaning that we must use our moral aptitude to actively spread goodness around the world and uphold our mission of Tikkun Olam. If we find a wallet on the side of the road, we are obligated to at least try return it to its owner. Rather than walking past a homeless person, we are commanded to not simply respect their privacy or pray for their good fortune, but to actively give tzedakah or help in any other way we can.

We are Jews, and therefore, I must pose the burning question to all of you:

What constitutes your moral independency?

And how can you use it to make the world a more enriching and beautiful place?