Torah portion Mishpatim February 22, 2020

Torah portion Mishpatim – Judgments

As I read this portion every year, I ask, “How can a portion that begins with buying a Hebrew slave be relevant to us today?”

“When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years And in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.” (Exo 21:2)

 Is it relevant?

The portion goes on to talk about things that don’t apply to most of us.

“And when a man sells his daughter for a slave-girl, she shall not go out as the male slaves go out.” (Exo 21:7)

“And when an ox gores a man so that he dies, the ox stoning shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, and the owner of the ox is innocent.” (Exo 21:28)

This year, it is apparent that although many of the actual judgments no longer seem applicable, the underlying premise is the same today as it was in the Garden. Human nature hasn’t changed since the beginning.

 The more things change, the more they stay the same

The bottom line of Mishpatim is personal responsibility.

The culture today is geared toward alleviating personal responsibility. There are so many scapegoats. A parent didn’t parent correctly, or worse, walked out, all because they were unwilling to accept the responsibility of their child. Compounding that mistake, the child now abdicates his or her responsibility because it’s the parent’s fault. Now the child can justify any aberrant behavior because of their childhood home life.

All around us in so many ways it has become standard to say something along the lines of, “The fault is never mine. Someone else is to blame because I am the way I am, or  I did the thing I did.” And what is perhaps sadder still is we have a culture that accepts and encourages putting the blame onto others.

The Torah orders life by telling each one of us, “You are responsible for your actions and the actions of things and people placed under your control.” It speaks of an ox goring, but applies equally to making certain the brakes on a car work properly so as not to cause damage. And if you know your brakes don’t work, get them fixed. If you neglect to do so, you are responsible for any damage or injury you cause.

 No excuses

The Torah extends beyond the physical. None of us will be able to stand before the Judgment Seat of Elohim and say, “It wasn’t my fault.”

We are responsible for our words as well as our actions. Yeshua said,

“But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by your words you shalt be justified, and by your words you shalt be condemned.” (Mat 12:37)

 The good news

That sounds frightening. Think back on all the things you have said in a moment of fear, anger, or hurt. We can’t change what we have done and said, but we can commit to doing better from this moment. From now on we can choose not to speak words of anger. From now on we can treat others with love. From now on we can walk in the path of righteousness. Because not only are we responsible, we can control our actions and our speech because the Holy Spirit within us has freed us from the bondage of sin.