Holy Weights and Measures

(35) You shall not falsify measures of length, weight, or capacity. (36) You shall have an honest balance, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin.I יקוק am your God who freed you from the land of Egypt. (37) You shall faithfully observe all My laws and all My rules: I am יקוק.

(30) You shall keep My sabbaths and venerate My sanctuary: I am יקוק. (31) Do not turn to ghosts and do not inquire of familiar spirits, to be defiled by them: I יקוק am your God. (32) You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old; you shall fear your God: I am יקוק. (33) When strangers reside with you in your land, you shall not wrong them.

(1) And יקוק spoke to Moses: (2) Say further to the Israelite people: Anyone among the Israelites, or among the strangers residing in Israel, who gives any offspring to Molech, shall be put to death; the people of the land shall pelt the person with stones.

לא תעשו עול במשפט YE SHALL NOT DO UNRIGHTEOUSNESS IN משפט — If this has a reference to the execution of justice it would be redundant, for it has already been stated (v. 15) “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment”. What, then is the meaning of משפט mentioned here? It refers to what is right in respect to measure of length, to weight and to measure of capacity. The use of the word משפט here teaches us, therefore, that one who has to do with measuring (in trade or commerce) is termed (is regarded as) “a judge” so that if he gives false measure he is like the judge who perverts justice and he is therefore called "an unjust person” (עַוָּל), hateful, detested, doomed to destruction, and an abomination (cf. Rashi v. 15). He brings about those five things which are mentioned in connection with the judge who perverts justice: he defiles the land, profanes the Name of the Lord, causes the Shechinah to depart from Israel's midst, Israel to fall by the sword and to be exiled from their land (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 8 5).

The primary meaning of the noun מדה (measurement) is about the measurement of a quantity of anything physical. And with respect to the measurement of a vessel, it comes with a query: from measuring its length, width, and height, how much will the vessel hold? כול (comprehend) - And the main idea of this special verb is about measuring everything וכל בשליש עפר הארץ (and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure). מדה (measure) – its main idea is measuring the ground. משקל (weight) – it is through a balance or a scale and weight stones. משורה (measuring cup) – there are in it several ideas. איפה (ancient measure of volume) is a measurement of solids, and הין (liquid unit) is a measurement of liquids. And there is a difference between אבן שלמה (perfect weight) and אבן צדק (just weight). אבן צדק is with respect to the meting out of justice.

(18) You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against members of your people. Love your fellow [Israelite] as yourself: I am יקוק.

ואהבת לרעך כמוך THOU SHALT LOVE THY FELLOW MAN AS THYSELF —Rabbi Akiba said: “This is a fundamental principle of the Torah” (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 4 12; Talmud Yerushalmi Nedarim 9:3).

There was another incident involving one gentile who came before Shammai and said to Shammai: Convert me on condition that you teach me the entire Torah while I am standing on one foot. Shammai pushed him away with the builder’s cubit in his hand. This was a common measuring stick and Shammai was a builder by trade. The same gentile came before Hillel. He converted him and said to him: That which is hateful to you do not do to another; that is the entire Torah, and the rest is its interpretation. Go study.