Mishpatim - Why We Serve Hashem

you're listening to the weekly paral podcast with Ari goldwag recorded with A's never ending assistance in rap Israel 5785 20125 this week's par par which means laws and we have many laws many teachings many Concepts in our para the me says parid section let us come and see how mishas means praiseworthy or how Gish how awesome this para is there's so many teachings here so many warnings right and and let's think of and understand warnings as showing us to watch out for these mistakes don't make these mistakes the Maru says we have 60 Commandments 60 Concepts and teachings in our paraa the Mish wants to focus in on a few of them that occur one after another and try to understand first what each one teaches us and second why they're next to each other and what the just the position of these three concepts teaches us the first is we have the concept of a Jewish slave a guy who wasn't able to pay back what he what he stole became a Jewish slave spends that time paying back paying off his debt and in the meantime serves in the family of a Jew so we know the H is that we're not allowed to enslave that person for more than 6 years there's a limit on the amount of time that a person can be a slave for another Jew we have the concept of a woman who sold as a slave have a third concept which has to do with the prohibition of striking one's father and really that's an important one and I don't just say that as a father but the way that we see our parents as we're going to see as the med explains the way that we see our parents our relationship with them is representative or Parallels on an emotional level on a spiritual level the way that we feel about hasem our relationship with God says the what is the concept of their being placed near each other so first the M explains each one the first is it talks about a slave who wants us to be sensitive to our slaves to the people who because of their let's say abject poverty or whatever it may be whatever reason downrod in nature just didn't their lives weren't going so well whatever the understanding is whatever the reason was but they've come under our care they have to pay back what they took but we are also slaves in a certain sense to KES and wants us to know you you Isel my dear beloved Jewish people you are my acquisition I own you how did acquire us why are we obligated to follow his will besides for the fact that it's good for us but the reason is because God took us out of bondage he took us out of slavery he took us out of Egypt and he showed us 10 plagues he did 10 incredible miracles in order to take us out of Egypt and as a result of that he acquired us right he show what think about it when when a person acquires something he uses money how did he get the money there was a certain amount of self-sacrifice in order to make money you got to do something for somebody else that they need and they need enough to pay you and so that money represents the self-sacrifice and using money to purchase something now that object you've put your money into that object you've shown self-sacrifice and AES as it were he doesn't like to show his hand in the world he doesn't like to reveal himself so there's a certain giving up of his rules that God did for us to save us and in so doing purchased us acquired us and we are beholden to him because of that your actions your works are awesome it's referring to the Miracles that did for us and my soul knows this very well so we are now God's servants we are God's slaves as it were because of this because of his miracles there's a similar idea there's a parallel you when it comes first of all you have to have an understanding you're to serve me and the way that you have I want I want all your brothers really to serve me as well Hashem is saying so limit the amount of time that he's going to be serving you six years he can serve you but there's another aspect here there's a time of service there's a time that we are to be involved in in fulfilling the mitz of which also parallels these six days we're we're to be serving and working for six days and then there's a shabas we learn from shabas commands us to remember that he is the creator we serve him we represent him in this world he is the creator he created the world in six days and he rested on shabas so there's a time where we remember every single week we remember that God is the Creator and God is our master so too we are to remember that so also there's a certain amount of time that yeah you got to work you have to work in the six days of creation but you got to put aside that seventh year to remind yourself every time that I don't work this day I remember that everything is really from Hashem all these six days and it's the same thing with the I remember after 60 years that even that which he stole from me that which he's paying back it's not him it's not the interactions that I have with others it's not about them it's always about a k if God took it away or God returns it it's him let him out remind yourself let him out free God is the one who's in charge God is our master god is the one who we recognize okay so that's the first concept beautiful depth in the concept of eviv it's a little hard to relate to otherwise because I mean eviv we don't have slaves today but we can understand we can we can relate to the idea of God being our master god being the one who we need to make ourselves beholden to Second concept beautiful idea when a person gives over his daughter to be a slave woman a maid servant so who's the maid servant here who actually has a daughter that he gives over to us to be our maid servant and what's it referring to hasem says I have one daughter and I sold it to you I sold her to you it's talking about the Torah the Torah as it were the teachings of the T the way of life that KES gives us through the T is like God's daughter right a daughter is an extension of the father we look at our kids and we see ourselves in them looks at the and says this is an extension of me this is my product and I'm giving my daughter to you the daughter that someone gives to to someone else to be a Slave SL is somebody who serves that person now so the t is there to serve us to help us to guide us when we take the T out right the Torah where is where's the Torah place is placed into an ark the holy Ark inside of the B mdash inside of the temple inside of the mishon the sanctuary so the T itself is something that is God's daughter as it were and he gives it to us and we have to show tremendous respect we have to show tremendous respect it comes in a box we come into the b b Med into the B into the sh into the house of study and we have respect for the to is placed inside of an ark when the ark is opened We Stand show great respect for God's daughter as it were you can't when it comes to an she doesn't go out the same way as a as a slave goes out she doesn't have the same type of ways of her going out of slavery and that parallels we don't take the Tyra out in a disrespectful way says you took the T M when he went up to take the Tyra he captured the Tyra he went up there the Angels were trying to stop him of course it was done with God permission and acquiescence and suggestion but nonetheless we took the Tyra down its rightful place is really in heaven it's a spiritual document it's it speaks to us to our highest selves to who we're supposed to be ideally so MOS brings it down to this world and now it's captured right no longer is the Torah in heaven it's now given over to mankind to interpret and understand as we do says the mes you got to but you got to respect who who it is you got to respect as the daughter of as it were says 68 ver 19 you went up to heaven went up there and he brought down the T he captured the T also praises the in the end of the chapter which begins it is good to praise and sing to God the end of the end of that it says God gives over his word to the people of of Israel to the Jewish people so he gave it to us and we need to praise and thank Hashem for we need to honor it we can't you can't take it out without honor Hing it supposed to follow the T as it comes to as it's being brought out and return to the to the Aron we're to show honor to the daughter as it were of Hashem we're supposed to praise Hashem wow we're so lucky we're so we're so fortunate that we have the T the T guides us and gives us the example of who we're supposed to be and what's the third concept that we mention here we first talk about the and how it teaches us about that is our master and we need to always remember that everything that we have is all his remind ourselves every shabas and we have the T and the t is that special treasure that we need to show respect for but the third aspect is that we are not to strike our father or our mother the father and our mother whether they're the perfect parents or the imperfect parents and as a father I can say we're all imperfect or I can speak for myself but we should never Strike our parents we should never hit our parents because it shows a lack of a to to the root to who we come from to where we come from expands on this and says what does this mean we find an example of a lack of Honor in the t a lack of respect for parents there's a story in the T with Noah and his his sons or grandson Noah had become intoxicated he became drunk and his son Canan Oram his grandson son saw his grandfather naked shame and yees came in there with their backs turned away and they covered him with a blanket showed him tremendous respect didn't want to see the nakedness of their their father butam saw and he was maaza his grandfather and what was the result he didn't strike his grandfather he just saw he disrespected he didn't have the he didn't have the the natural inborn respect and what was the result of that he was cursed and we have to understand that even a curse is a it's a rectification now he and his sons are slaves forever they're to be slaves to Shem they need to come in just like an eviv who has to come in and pay back his debt and live with an upstanding family perhaps to relearn what it means to be part of society so to and his kids and his grandchildren have to they have an inborn and a lack that needs to be rectified and that requires them to be aim they need to be slaves to shame they need to learn from shame that's sadic so if that's what happens to somebody who just looks at his grandfather in a disrespectful way doesn't have that inborn respect or doesn't listen to his conscience in that way so if somebody actually curses or strikes his parent or grandparent or understand what it means it means that I defy the one I don't recognize where I come from I don't have that appreciation for those before me so that's a terrible thing but but where does that manifest for us what does that look like for us what does that mean how does that how does that translate say are these where do we see the example of this and we need to understand the example so we can know what we have the propensity to do and that we need to not imitate or or follow after that that mistake the 10 tribes the northern kingdom of the Jewish people they served Idols instead of serving God and recognizing that God saved them and brought them into the land of Israel they served Idols they depended on other nations to help them and save [Music] them and what was the result they threw off the Yoke of aesu of God threw off threw they threw away the gift of the T they threw away the gift of A's protection and salvation and what was the result they became slaves too they were exiled by by as explain the me says that it's it's analogus to a King that had 10 kids and they rebelled and they defied 10 decrees the king had decrees that he decreed upon his people upon his nation and his very Sons instead of being the example of how a member of his country should should behave they defied their father the king [Music] God says you know you nullified my laws you nullified my statutes and Commandments which means you didn't appreciate who I am you didn't appreciate your father you didn't appreciate the 10 it doesn't say exactly what it's talking about here but as I understand the 10 MERS the 10 plagues that they brought upon the Egyptians which we talked about at the beginning you didn't appreciate all that I did for you and you defied my ten commands which means my 10 statements really of love for you you turned your back on me so you made my word to be insignificant now I'm going to show you that something insignificant a fly will come and will affect you and cause you the ultimate pain and loss in the same way the 10 tribes they rebelled against God they nullified and and violated the says in 5:2 they denied God and they said it's not God it's not him God brought upon them the fly what was the [Music] fly says in a reference to the enemies of the Jewish people God I think this was what it means God brought the the fly to whistle on them right you can hear a fly buzzing around your head Z who's the fly he's an insignificant person how long did his kingdom last [Music] but he's the one who came and he brought about Justice on the people of Israel the Jewish people think about think about today think about what's been going on think about who are these terrorists these evil terrible people who brought about such a terrible punishment of Israel and we can all individually look at our own imperfections that might have brought about this kind of terrible punishment where have we turned away from hem what do we see that if we nullify we don't keep the Commandments we we Veer away from our commitment to God we Veer away from the request of God that we do what's good for us it's comparable to us cursing our father and our mother it's showing that we don't appreciate all that hashm has done for us we don't appreciate appreciate where we come from we don't appreciate God's willingness to save us and come out of hiding as it were to do so sh and and by the way think about it in it's it's the med is telling us contemplate contemplate all the places where has saved us individually and nationally think about the Miracles that have gone on for us wherever we are whether it's in or whether it's Arts the Resurgence of the Resurgence of is a nation inside of is it's unbelievable idea but if we don't recognize that we don't see that we don't think about it so there's a curse what is a curse a curse curse is the ultimate B it's the ultimate nullification if a person curses their parents they're saying I have no value for you I don't appreciate you I don't appreciate anything that I don't appreciate anything that you ever did for me and I don't appreciate the fact that you even brought me into this world no greater no greater uh Defiance than that who is the father who's being cursed here it's God refers the fact also in chter 64:7 and nowm you are our Father God is the Father the ultimate father he's the one who gives everything to us that we have the who's the mother that we're cursing it's the says do not deny don't uproot the Torah of your mother we see the concept of T is related to a mother a mother who loves and guides takes care of Who develops the child who picks up the child when they make mistakes when they fall the t is that which like a mother at at her Mount was given to us and we have to remember we're still we're in Mish we're still in the story of of the giving of the Mount Si the tah is the mother that guides us and and helps us in the path of wisdom means to teach you right the t is a teaching that's what the word Torah means but it also means also means to to be pregnant which is the pregnancy is the place where the fetus develops into a human being and the T when we immerse ourselves in the t is the place where we develop as human beings we become more sensitive 60 laws it's like a it's like a pool the the yam it's like a it's like a sea that we are to immerse ourselves in the ter is telling us by placing these three concepts next to each other first understand that you're my you are my servant I acquired you God says and understand I gave you the Ty I gave you this amazing gift my daughter as it were God's daughter don't curse the father and the mother don't curse AES don't disconnect and deny the good of God and the beauty of the T that's the beautiful mag I wanted to share with you and and what I take out of it is just wow is our father is our master and the is this special document this special opportunity for us to grow and we need to respect it and we need to carefully take it out carefully put it back and even in our relationships with others and that's reflected in the concept of the Ed every single other member of the Jewish people is also a child of a is also God's slave which means I can't take them away from their service of a and each individual is also God's child and I need to respect that and I need to know that if I can respect God and I can respect the teachings of God and I can respect the children of a and all those other ones who are dedicated to hashem's service then I'm on the right path these are the laws this is the these are the warnings and the lessons and the guidance and the love and the instructions I want to bless you I ask you to bless me who should help us that we should indeed be able to recognize that he's done so much for us he is our Master he is our father should help us see that and feel that and it should engender within us a desire to do his will more and more and then and should help us have an appreciation for his Tyra and for all of those who try so hard to keep his her as well thank you so much for listening have a wonderful shamas this podcast was made possible through the gracious donations of listeners like you for more podcasts like this please visit www.wag.com or search on iTunes Ari goldwag [Music]