Archive for the ‘Parsha 18 – Mishpatim’ Category

Mishpatim 5770 – Property Rights

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

Mishpatim lists a seemingly random set of commandments, but a closer look shows that they are not really so random. The common theme is property rights.

Exodus 21:1 Introduction
Exodus 21:2-11 Rights of a master over a slave.
Exodus 21:12-36 Rights of a person over his own life and limb
Exodus 22:1-15 Rights of the owner of livestock, crops, and other property
Exodus 22:16-17 Rights of a father and future husband over a daughter and future bride
Exodus 22:18-23:19 God’s expectations of those to whom he has delegated authority
Exodus 23:20-23 God’s expectations of those under delegated authority
Exodus 23:24-33 Rights of God over his property
Exodus 24:1-18 Closing

A word about the rights of fathers over their daughters…I wrote in A Commentary on Marriage in the Bible that a father always has the right to veto his daughter’s choice of husband. I no longer believe that to be completely true. Matot (Numbers 30-32) says that a father may annul the vows of his unmarried daughter still living in his house. I have had occasion since then to learn something of the life of an unmarried daughter who is not still living in her father’s house, and it seems to me that Matot should be taken literally on that point. If she left her father’s house with his consent and has lived on her own for many years, then she should probably be accorded the status of a widow or divorcee, responsible for her own finances, decisions, and vows.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Leadership, Marriage, Men's Rights, Parsha 18 - Mishpatim, Theology, Torah | No Comments »

Mishpatim 5769 – Slavishly Hitched

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

Exodus 21:3-6

If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself. I see three levels of meaning in this law.

  1. P’shat: If a man buys a Hebrew slave who is married, the slave’s wife does not become the master’s slave along with her husband, and the slave will take her with him when he leaves the master’s employ. If the master gave the slave one of his female slaves as a wife, she does not cease to be his slave when her husband goes free. She must stay behind unless her master allows her to be purchased or otherwise redeemed.
  2. Drash: Prior claims are not automatically superseded by more recent claims. If God delegates authority over a nation to a king, that does not mean the nation no longer belongs to God. If the king decides to leave his homeland or if he is removed from the throne, God will grant authority over it to another.
  3. Sod: The slave is a believer and the master is Yeshua, our Messiah.
  • There is an unbeliever who converts and then falls away again. If he was unmarried when he converted and remains unmarried when he falls away, then he is only harming himself. It is an unfortunate thing, but still simple.
  • There is a married couple, and both of them are sinners. One of them comes to believe in God and repents, but the other does not. If the believing spouse then falls away again, he leaves God’s congregation with his wife. This is still relatively uncomplicated.
  • There is an unbeliever who converts and then falls away again. In the meantime, however, he married a fellow believer. Their marriage remains valid, sanctified by God, so long as the unbeliever is willing to stay in it. He continues as one of God’s people, only in a state of rebellion. If the unbeliever chooses to leave his spouse and children, then the marriage is dissolved as if he had died.
  • Finally, there is an unbeliever who converts and marries another believer. He dedicates the remainder of his life and his family to serving God and his kingdom. His marriage and family will be blessed.

Posted in Marriage, Men's Rights, Parsha 18 - Mishpatim, Theology, Torah | Comments Off

Mishpatim 5768 – Undercover

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

Exodus 22:18 – Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

Samuel told Saul that “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.” Other than the obvious rebellion of doing something forbidden, the connection used to escape me. How is rebellion like witchcraft?

The Hebrew word translated “witch” is kashaf. Maybe the past couple of weeks spent pondering biblical references to headcoverings has got me in a rut, but when I read Adam Clarke’s comments on this verse, something clicked.

It is very likely that the Hebrew…cashaph, and the Arabic cashafa, had originally the same meaning, to uncover, to remove a veil, to manifest, reveal, make bare or naked…The mecashshephah or witch, therefore, was probably a person who professed to reveal hidden mysteries, by commerce with God, or the invisible world.

If Clarke was correct, then the connection would seem to be in the uncovering of things that should remain hidden. Necromancy, fortune telling, and spiritism are all areas of knowledge that God said not to delve. There are times when a head should be covered or uncovered, and the same is true for other things. Like uncovering a head as if to disdain the authority it represents, witchcraft removes the cover of Torah, which God put in place to protect his people. It is a rejection of his providence and authority.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Parsha 18 - Mishpatim, Theology, Torah | 3 Comments »

Sheeple Unite!

Tuesday, November 13th, 2007

Exodus 23:2 You shall not follow a multitude to do evil. Neither shall you speak in a cause in order to follow many in order to wrest judgment.

See? Even God says you have to support Ron Paul.

Posted in Parsha 18 - Mishpatim, Politics, Theology, Torah | Comments Off

Mishpatim 5767

Tuesday, February 13th, 2007

More random thoughts for your amusement and edification:

  • Ex 21:12-14 – Premeditated murder is worse than murder, but both deserve death. Motive and state of mind are irrelevant. The insane and incompetent should be executed for murder along with the cold-blooded killer. Not that I trust any level of our current governments with that responsibility. If somebody I respected was in charge, maybe. See the below comment on Ex 22:1 for one possible way to reduce the ratio of ass to brain and heart in the judiciary.
  • Ex 21:15,17 – Striking one’s parents in a way that might put their lives in danger or even mortally cursing them also deserves death.
  • Ex 21:16 – Kidnapping is stealing a life and should be punished by death.
  • Ex 21:18-19 – If you hurt someone you have to make it right. “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth” is not retribution, but restitution.
  • Ex 21:20-21, 26-27 – Slaves have rights. They are not to be mistreated, but cared for, provided for, educated, and set free with a hefty retirement. Even so much as a lost tooth is cause for freedom. The slavery that is often described as having taken place 150 years ago in America bears almost no resemblence to the slavery allowed by God’s Law. A biblical slave had more legal protections than your average American tax payer today.
  • Ex 21:22-25 – This isn’t just about miscarriage, but also premature delivery. Even so, the guilty man is to pay a fine, and the fine is to be commensurate with the injury caused. That was always the true meaning of “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.” It was never about retaliation.
  • Ex 21:28-36 – If you knowingly do things that put other people in danger, you should be treated as if you are the danger. Be careful. If you dig a pit, you will fall into it.
  • Ex 22:1 – Punitive damages for theft should be given to the victim. Judges and police should not be paid, especially not out of fines levied on the guilty, but should be strictly volunteers. In the amount of the fine, no allowance is made for either poverty or wealth. The punishment must be the same regardless of the perpetrator’s ability to pay.
  • Ex 22:2 – If a thief is caught in the act of breaking into your home, you may assume that he is there to hurt you or your family, and you should not be punished for killing him. Concerning Yeshua’s instructions to turn the other cheek: He was not teaching pacifism. He was telling you to be slow to anger, and to not retaliate. “Do not lay hands on anyone quickly,” whether for good or evil, but if someone is breaking into your home in the middle of the night when you are there, they are demonstrating a willingness to hurt or kill you to get your stuff. They don’t deserve any sympathy, and certainly not the protection of the law.
  • Ex 22:3-4 – If stolen goods are recovered intact, the thief should give the items back plus 100% of their value. Once again, poverty or wealth on the part of the perpetrator are irrelevant. If he can’t afford the fine, he should be made to work it off.
  • Ex 22:5-6 – The key in dealing with accidental damages is restitution. The idea is not to punish someone for making a mistake, but to get them to make it right. Punitive damages for real negligence should be strictly limited regardless of the resources of the perpetrator.
  • Ex 22:7-9 – If someone claims something that is not his, the punishment is the same as if for outright theft. He tried to steal through argument rather than force, but he still stole.
  • Ex 22:10-15 – No one is to be held at fault for damages to borrowed property due to causes beyond the borrower’s control. The lender accepts a certain amount of risk in the mere ownership of a thing. However, if the damage is due to the borrower’s negligence or misuse, then he is to make it right.

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

History, Parsha 18 - Mishpatim, Politics, Theology, Torah | No Comments »