Parsha Talk Mishpatim 5782 2022

Parsha Talk – with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and
Barry Chesler. Parashat Mishpatim [Exodus 21-24] contains the Covenant Code, one of the major pieces of legislation in the Torah. One way of looking at it is to think of it as the prose to the poetry of revelation in last week’s parashah. In Jewish terms it is the halachah [law] to last week’s aggadah [narrative, non-legal material]. Mishpatim is rich in legal detail, with laws covering a variety of situations, many of which must have been more common while others would have occurred more rarely. Our conversation began with the first verse and included the last chapter, a ritual that is, shall we say, distinctly non-modern. Along the way we discussed some of the specific laws one or more of us find interesting. Comments and criticisms are welcome at [email protected]. Shabbat Shalom!