Parashat Mishpatim: The Mitzvah and Transformation

Torah: Ex 21:1-24:18

Haftarah: Jer 34: 8-12, 33:25-26

Brit Chadashah: Matt 5:38-42, 17:1-11

Main Points:

Laws concerning slavery.

Laws concerning restitution.

Various civil and moral laws.

Laws concerning Shabbat and other festivals.

Instruction concerning the conquest of Canaan.

People affirm the Covenant.

In Parashat Mishpatim, God speaks to Moses and gives him a variety of laws for civil, financial, and personal purposes. These laws were meant to guide the children of Israel into becoming a nation under God’s direction. A mark of being God’s people is that we do his will. Often this stands in contrast to culture. Mishpatim teaches us that God has an ordained path for us to follow. That path does have requirements. The mitzvot (commandments) have the purpose of drawing us to God, teaching us about his ways, and helping us to transform as a people into what God ordained for us to be.

The greatest miracle in the life of a person of faith is the miracle of a changed and transformed life. One of my mentors once said, “The only thing consistent in life is change”. We all want it. We all seek it to some degree. The reality is that God has called us to change. Repentance and forgiveness require change. Going to heaven requires change. The nature of sanctification is change. If we are to grow spiritually it will always require change. Change seldom takes place in isolation. It normally takes place in the context of relationships with God or people. God partners with us so that we can be transformed (Ps 103:1-5, Phil 4:6-7).

Many of the old brush harbor saints used to have a single remedy for all ailments and problems. They would tell people to “pray through”. But change does not always begin and end strictly at an altar as if God would simply pour his spirit out on a person every time and godliness and growth could occur without our effort, trials, or significant people (good and bad). Many times, change begins as we study the word of God with a heart of obedience (1 Pet 1:22). Soon we experience a change in our words, actions, and motives (Ps 19:7, Heb 10:36).

Godly change cannot be managed by feeling or whether we feel affirmed as a person. It must come from a desire to please God. It must be undertaken by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:16, Jn 15:1-5). We want to understand God’s ways (Ex 23:12, Prov 11:25). Sometimes we seek wisdom (Prov 2:6, James 1:5). We also get strength and comfort from the word (Ps 92:10, 1 Cor 10:13). What we seek ultimately is wholeness and alignment with God (Is 58:11), both emotionally and spiritually.

Change requires that we understand the authority of scripture. The scripture is inspired by God (2 Tim 3:16-17). It washes our minds (Eph 5:26). It revives our soul (Ps 19:7-11). It helps us divide (Heb 4:12) and direct our thoughts (Is 26:3, Col 3:2, Phil 4:8) rather than be defiled by them (Mk 7:20-23). It holds authority not because of its philosophical power. It holds authority because God spoke it.

Change requires that we understand the war between the spirit and flesh (Gal 5:16-26). Our flesh drives toward self and the spirit drives us to God. We have the power to choose and direct what we submit to or allow (Prov 4:23). We can sow to the flesh or spirit (Gal 6:8) as a conscious and deliberate act of godliness. The Rabbis and some organizations have mitzvah campaigns and constantly urge members to practice carrying out the scriptures. The simple act of practicing godliness can empower the spiritual part of who we are and set our lives on the path of change.

Another way to look at change is to use the Sabbath as a pattern. How do we start and stop our day? Book-ending our day with a declaration of faith and hopefulness, and then ending it with praise for what God helped us do can assist us in directing our faith in a better way. A lot of what we express in our faith can be seen in how we conceptualize our day and how the kingdom fits into it.

The Apostle Paul uses the analogy of clothing as a metaphor of change (Eph 4:22-24, Col 3:8-11). Being clothed properly in the spirit has a lot to do with how we start our day. Traditional-minded people pray the Modeh Ani and other morning prayers. Some prepare their mind and heart to engage the day with simple prayer, worship, and reading the scriptures (Lam 3:21-23). We put on godliness when we prepare our minds and hearts and make our priority to please God. 

We have other change agents at our disposal that cannot be overlooked. Confession is a tool of change (1 Jn 1:9, James 5:6, Prov 22:17-19). It is covenantal and one of the main forms of dedication we have (2 Chron 7:14, Rom 10:10). Repentance and forgiveness change us because they both involve letting go and turning away from things that hinder us. Scripture also speaks about being skilled in using the word (Heb 5:12-14) as a means of pursuing righteousness.

Long-term change is an empowering of grace that comes as we work through trials, constant spiritual provocations, struggles, and bad people. Sometimes change comes when we are simply hanging on and don’t stop (Gal 6:9, Rom 5:3-5, 2 Tim 1:13). Sometimes change comes when we resist the temptations that the enemy sends to make us stumble (Eph 4:27, James 4:7-10). In other times God sends his seasons of refreshing (Acts 3:20, Ps 23:1-3).

Godly change requires us to focus on both behavior and heart. Wholistic strategies work best. Our emotional responses may hide long-held and damaging life assumptions that grip us tightly and push us to respond to life in selfish, self-centered, or ungodly ways. Ask for God’s help to remember where and when the root of the emotion began to get so strong and dominating. Work to see where it comes into prominence and practice the power of the pause. Slow the thinking and emotional response down so that it can be better managed.

There are parts of us that are rooted in ugly things. Fully see that for what it is, own it, and then you are empowered to decide what to do with it. This is the place to do a lot of repentance, forgiveness, and asking God to cleanse our spirit from the grip of our past. Challenge ungodly thinking, especially the thinking that fires quickly and is automatic. Practice a Sabbath of the mind and slow things down. Begin to discern and listen to what is being spoken or rehearsed in the mind. Challenge the thinking with the Word of God. Focus on only a few things at a time and consistently apply the word of God to life. Healing comes when we are plugged into the vine (Jn 15:5-7).

Shalom,

Rav Calev

Upcoming Feasts:

Purim begins sundown on March 13th and ends at sundown March 14th.

Passover begins sundown on April 12th and ends at sundown April 20th.

Hebrew words to know:

Sleep or Nap- Shlaf; Yiddish

Small Talk- Schmooze; A Yiddish term for chatting or small talk.

Snack- Nosh; A Yiddish word meaning to eat or snack.

Someone You Feel Comfortable With- Yiddish, Haymisheh Mensch.

Son/Daughter of the Commandment- Bar/Bat Mitzvah

Soul- Nephesh, the part of our soul that is the seat of our character, temperament, thoughts, and emotions.

Soul- Neshama, the holy, God given part of our being that was made to resemble Hashem.

Spirit of Life- Ruach