Mishpatim

מִשְׁפָּטִים
[These Are the] Rules

Exodus 21:1−24:18

When Is Mishpatim Read?

/ 27 Shevat 5786
/ 29 Shevat 5787
/ 29 Shevat 5788

Summary

  • Interpersonal laws ranging from the treatment of slaves to the exhibition of kindness to strangers are listed. (21:1-23:9)
  • Cultic laws follow, including the commandment to observe the Sabbatical Year, a repetition of the Sabbath injunction, the first mention of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals, rules of sacrificial offerings, and the prohibition against boiling a kid in its mother's milk. (23:10-19)
  • The people assent to the covenant. Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel ascend the mountain and see God. Moses goes on alone and spends forty days on the mountain. (24:1-18)

Ten Minutes of Torah: Mishpatim Commentary

Mountain climbers helping each other reach the summit

Extending Ourselves for Our Communities

By: Rabbi Jessica Kirschner

This week's parashah, Mishpatim, is about law on a much more human scale. It's the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the articles and amendments of the Constitution - a vision statement versus a roadmap.

Continue Reading

Video: Learn More About Parashat Mishpatim With Bim Bam

Bim Bam Video Parashat Mishpatim

People of the book - dive in to a video! Author and professor David Henkin talks about the act of writing in this week's Torah Portion in an attempt to discover what we need books for, anyway. Enjoy this video and others from Bim Bam.

Listen to Podcasts About Parashat Mishpatim