QUESTIONS FOR THE SHABBOS TABLE –
PARSHAS MISHPATIM, EXODUS 21:1–24:18
Slave Market in Cairo, Egypt & Nubia. David Roberts, between
1845 and 1849.
Our exodus from Egypt can be considered as a
Slave Revolt. It should be no surprise then that the very first decrees
given by God to the newly freed Israelites are rules relating to slavery. These
rules are first found in Exodus 21:1-11.
Slavery is a system in
which principles of property law are applied to people. Slavery allows a
slave master to own, buy and sell individuals. A slave is a form of
property. Slaves are unable to withdraw unilaterally from such an
arrangement and they work without pay.
The evil of slavery is
so obvious, it seems unnecessary to even to mention it. But do not forget
that slavery still exists. Depending on your definition, 20- 40 million
people are in some form of slavery today.
Let's be clear: Although
the Chumash mentions slavery as an established institution,
Jews have only one master, and that is God.
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When we were slaves in Egypt,
Hashem freed us from servitude, from Egyptian bondage. Because we are a
people of compassion and moral justice, slavery and having slaves is not
part of our social fabric.
But look what happened to us
in the year 586 BCE as per the the Haftorah
portion from the Book of Jeremiah 34:8 - 34:22; 33:25 - 33:26. (This Haftorah portion was read last year in 2019 and will be read again in 2025.
However, another Haftorah portion
will be read this year.)
This is the historical
setting: The year is 586 BCE. The
Kingdom of Judah under the leadership of Zedekiah is being overwhelmed by the
Babylonians, who are led by their king, Nebuchadnezzar. We have only one chance to save Judah and its
capital, Jerusalem.
We are told by God that if only we free our slaves, the kingdom will be saved (34:9): “That every man should let his manservant and every man his maidservant, a Jew and a Jewess go free, that none should hold his Jewish brother as a slave”.
The slave holders take a
sacred oath to do just this, but then renege on their word…”
But then you turned and profaned My Name, and you
took back, each man his manservant and each man his maidservant, whom you had
let free to themselves, and forced them to be manservants and maidservants to
you”.
The result: The Temple is destroyed;
the Kingdom is lost; we go into Exile.
It is a disaster.
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In Chapter 23,
verse 20 Hashem says Moses:
הִנֵּ֨ה אָֽנֹכִ֜י שֹׁלֵ֤חַ מַלְאָךְ֙ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמָרְךָ֖
בַּדָּ֑רֶךְ וְלַֽהֲבִ֣יאֲךָ֔ אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֲכִנֹֽתִי
“Behold, I am sending an
angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I
have prepared.”
The question then is:
Who or where is this Angel?
We have to wait until
Chapter 5, verses 13-14 of the Book of Joshua to maybe come up
with an answer:
“And it was when Joshua
was in Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and saw, and, behold, a man was
standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand; and Joshua went to him,
and said to him, Are you for us, or for our adversaries?
And he said, No, but I
am the captain of the host of the Lord; I have now come. And Joshua fell on his
face to the earth and prostrated himself, and said to him, What does my lord
say to his servant?”
The Angel may have
answered Joshua: “And the walls will come tumbling down”.
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