Edited by B. Silberstein
This week’s Paraasha, Mishpatim, addresses the civil laws that govern society. The Torah’s detailed engagement with everyday matters such as loans, theft, damages, and punishments often comes as a surprise. Many assume that such concerns belong to the realm of secular governance rather than religious life.
Most people draw a clear distinction between societal order and religious inspiration. We do not go to Shul (synagogue) to learn about our responsibilities regarding borrowed objects. While no one disputes the necessity of laws that regulate human relationships, such laws are often regarded as mundane and lacking spiritual significance. Religion, it is commonly thought, is meant to elevate us beyond these ordinary concerns.
Civil Law as Spiritual Foundation
The Torah adopts a very different perspective. The civil laws contained in Parshat Mishpatim are of central importance, as they constitute the first body of legislation transmitted by Moshe following the Revelation at Har Sinai (Mount Sinai). This placement is deliberate and conveys a powerful message: the Torah invests the proper fulfillment of one’s civic responsibilities with profound spiritual meaning.
The Rambam on Body and Soul
To understand this, one must appreciate Judaism’s distinctive conception of religious life. The Rambam explains that the Mitzvot (commandments) serve two overarching purposes: the perfection of the body and the perfection of the soul.
The “body" refers to the physical needs of the individual and of humanity as a whole. Man is a social being who cannot, in isolation, provide for all his needs while still enjoying the freedom and leisure required to pursue higher goals. Human progress is possible only within the framework of a stable and harmonious society that allows individuals to engage in productive activity.
There is nothing more dangerous than the breakdown of social order. When governing authority collapses, chaos ensues, and society regresses to an animalistic state. Stability and justice are therefore not luxuries but necessities.
The Rambam maintains that the ultimate purpose of the commandments is the perfection of the soul through the acquisition of true ideas concerning the most fundamental realities, such as G-d’s existence, which is unique and incomparable, and His absolute oneness. In the abstract, this spiritual perfection surpasses physical well-being. Yet the Rambam emphasizes that the cultivation of the soul depends upon the body being maintained in its proper condition.
Why Society Comes First
Which then must come first? The Rambam answers that the establishment of a just and well-ordered society is a vital prerequisite for spiritual growth. Without social stability, it is impossible to pursue life’s highest purpose.
This helps explain why the very first laws given to Bnei Yisrael concerned the regulation of economic and social relations. These laws provide the foundation for a functioning society. One who contributes to the improvement of communal life is therefore serving Hashem by fulfilling His will: that human beings live under conditions most conducive to the perfection of their nature.
Sanctifying G-d Through Human Decency
There is an additional dimension to the commandments governing relationships between people, known as Bein Adam LeChaveiro. The Talmud relates a well-known episode in Shabbat 31a in which a gentile asked the sage Shammai to convert him while he stood on one foot. Shammai dismissed the request as frivolous. When the man approached Hillel, however, he received a markedly different response:
“That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow; the rest is commentary. Now go and study."
Hillel’s statement teaches that moral conduct toward others is not merely a practical necessity. It is a central component of one’s relationship with Hashem. Judaism maintains that when a person sins against another human being, he also sins against G-d.
The Torah anchors this idea in the account of Creation:
“And Hashem created the man in His image, in the image of Hashem did He create him; male and female He created them" (Bereishit 1:27).
Every human being possesses inherent dignity, not only because he was created by G-d, but also because he has a soul that, on some level, reflects the Creator. We are therefore obligated to respect others because of the divine image they bear. To mistreat a human being is to deny that image, negate his soul, and reduce him to the level of an animal.
To treat G-d’s creatures with justice and compassion is to affirm, through our daily conduct, that the world and humanity are the handiwork of Hashem. Viewed in this light, respectful and ethical behavior sanctifies G-d’s Name in the most ordinary arenas of life. This is why the prophet Yishayahu proclaims:
“Zion will be redeemed through justice; and her returnees through righteousness" (Yishayahu 1:27).
May it happen speedily and in our days.
Shabbat Shalom.