Torah: Exodus 21:1-24:18Haftarah: Jeremiah 34:8-22; 33:25-26Gospels: Matthew 5:38-48, 15:1-20; Hebrews 9:15-22, 10:28-39

Psalms: Psalm 18,72,119 (Kaf, Lamed)

Additional: Matthew 1,2,3

Mishpatim-משפטים: Judgments

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Fun Facts about Mishpatim

• 18th of 54 portions

• 6th of 11 in Shemot

• Written on 185 lines in a Torah

• 31st in length

• Mishpatim contains 53 of the 613 mitzvot;

• 23 positive and 30 prohibitions;

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Fun Facts about Mishpatim

• 18th of 54 portions

• 6th of 11 in Shemot

• Written on 185 lines in a Torah

• 31st in length

• Mishpatim contains 53 of the 613 mitzvot;

• 23 positive and 30 prohibitions;

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How is the Haftarah like Mishpatim?

• “ 8This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from YHVH, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them; 9That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.” Jeremiah 34:8-9

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How is the Haftarah like Mishpatim?

• “ 8This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from YHVH, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them; 9That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.” Jeremiah 34:8-9

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How is the Haftarah like Mishpatim?

• “ 8This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from YHVH, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them; 9That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.” Jeremiah 34:8-9

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What is the theme of Mishpatim?

• Exodus 21:1, “Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.”

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What is the theme of Mishpatim?

• Exodus 21:1, “Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.”

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How does the institution of biblical slavery differ from the world?

• Exodus 21:2-3, “2If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. 3If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.”

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Why would anyone commit themselves to life long service?

• Exodus 21:4-5, “4If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself. 5And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:”

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Why would Torah condone selling daughters?

• Exodus 21:7-8, “And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do. 8If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.”

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Is it justice or vengeance?

• Exodus 21:24-26, “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. 26And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.”

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Why should I be so concerned about widows and orphans?

• Exodus 22:22-24, “Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. 23If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; 24And My wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.”

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Do all of these laws pertain to me today?

• Exodus 22:26-27, “If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: 27For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.”

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What difference does it make about “when” I do the right thing?

• Exodus 22:29, “Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto Me.”

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Why does God expect me to help my enemies?

• Exodus 23:4-5, “If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. 5If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.”

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I only have to remember Shabbat to keep it holy, right?

• Exodus 23:12, “Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.”

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Why were we given the law?

• Galatians 3:19, “What then is the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise hath been made; and it was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator.

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Why were we given the law?

• Galatians 3:19, “What then is the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise hath been made; and it was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator.

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Summary

• YHVH legislates the laws of the indentured servant

• YHVH establishes the penalties for murder, kidnapping, assault and theft

• YHVH establishes civil damages, granting of loans, & code of conduct of judicial law, how to treat foreigners, observance of festivals, Temple gifts, a dietary law and prayer.

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Summary

• We show our fruit, the nature of our relationship with Him by the nature of our relationship with others

• He promises to bring us to the Promised Land

• Moses goes up to receive the Torah