Mishpatim 

The Lord has got a lot in mind for the chosen people!

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While the Jews are all awestruck at the base of the mountain, Moses continues to tell them some rules to follow as the chosen peoples. First he discusses giving slaves a break every 7 years which after coming back the slave would be to get a super cute ear piercing on the doorpost! There are many more details about slavery which boil down to giving slaves enough autonomy that you need to treat them well so that they choose to stay. 

Next, Moses says to the people, “HE who fatally strikes a man shall be put to death” details upon this system of justice according to the lord are laid out. If it was an accident, they can flee. If its planned, dead. If you kill your parents, dead. If you kidnap, dead. If you hit a slave and they die, their owner may avenge them so….. Dead. The rules are set us so that the penalty is life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn,  wound for wound, bruise for bruise.  

Now if a master hits a slave and knocks their tooth out, they shall go free! Freedom for a tooth whod have thought! Or in the case that an animal kills someone, the animal is killed and not the owner. Or in the case of an animal dying due to lets say a tripping on pit in the middle of the road, the digger of the pit must pay for the loss to the owner. 

Now stealing is a whoooole other situation. Moses tells the people if a man steals an animal to sell or kill, they will owe the original owner at least 2 times as much (depending in if the animal is alive or dead). There are many specific cases but the jist is the eye for an eye still. 

Moses lays out more rules! Gd had a lot in mind for his chosen people. Lie with a beast, dead. Sacrifice to another gd, dead. Dont wrong a stranger because throwback to like 50 days ago when you were slaves after being strangers in egypt. Dont mistreat orphans or widows- we all need love yall! Gd sey out some specific laws around lending money but long story short, lend money with empathy towards the other person who is in need. 

Just as gd asked the people to let slaves go on the 7th year, so too gd asks this for the land, to let it lay fallow on the 7th year. And also for the 7th day, for shabbat a day of rest for all. Three festivals are asked of the people. The Feast of Unleavened Bread for 7 days – to remember going forth from egypt. The Feast of the Harvest – the first fruits of your labor shall have a party! And the Feast of Ingathering – when the harvest is over celebrate your hard work. During all this talk of party, the request to not eat dairy and meat together is casually thrown in also. In order to remind them of the protection of gd, an angle will travel with them from then on and gd promised to protect the chose people from now on. 

Moses wrote down all that had been discussed, set an alter at the foot of the mountain with 12 pillars for the 12 tribes of ISrael. They sacrificed to gd and all were happy. Gd says to Moses “ I wrote the most important stuff down for yall on some stone tablets so you dont forget. Go get them from the top and bring them to our people.” So Moses, Aaron and 70 of the elders go party with gd on sapphire floors for a week and come back down. And though the mountain looked of cloud and fire, Moses again ascended and remained there for 40 days and nights….