(א) וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר תָּשִׂ֖ים לִפְנֵיהֶֽם׃
(1) And these are the rules that you shall set before them:
Shlomo Yitzchaki (Hebrew: רבי שלמה יצחקי; Latin: Salomon Isaacides; French: Salomon de Troyes, 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), generally known by the acronym Rashi, was a medieval French rabbi, the author of comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible. (Wikipedia)
(ב) כִּ֤י תִקְנֶה֙ עֶ֣בֶד עִבְרִ֔י שֵׁ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים יַעֲבֹ֑ד וּבַ֨שְּׁבִעִ֔ת יֵצֵ֥א לַֽחָפְשִׁ֖י חִנָּֽם׃ (ג) אִם־בְּגַפּ֥וֹ יָבֹ֖א בְּגַפּ֣וֹ יֵצֵ֑א אִם־בַּ֤עַל אִשָּׁה֙ ה֔וּא וְיָצְאָ֥ה אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ עִמּֽוֹ׃ (ד) אִם־אֲדֹנָיו֙ יִתֶּן־ל֣וֹ אִשָּׁ֔ה וְיָלְדָה־ל֥וֹ בָנִ֖ים א֣וֹ בָנ֑וֹת הָאִשָּׁ֣ה וִילָדֶ֗יהָ תִּהְיֶה֙ לַֽאדֹנֶ֔יהָ וְה֖וּא יֵצֵ֥א בְגַפּֽוֹ׃ (ה) וְאִם־אָמֹ֤ר יֹאמַר֙ הָעֶ֔בֶד אָהַ֙בְתִּי֙ אֶת־אֲדֹנִ֔י אֶת־אִשְׁתִּ֖י וְאֶת־בָּנָ֑י לֹ֥א אֵצֵ֖א חָפְשִֽׁי׃ (ו) וְהִגִּישׁ֤וֹ אֲדֹנָיו֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְהִגִּישׁוֹ֙ אֶל־הַדֶּ֔לֶת א֖וֹ אֶל־הַמְּזוּזָ֑ה וְרָצַ֨ע אֲדֹנָ֤יו אֶת־אָזְנוֹ֙ בַּמַּרְצֵ֔עַ וַעֲבָד֖וֹ לְעֹלָֽם׃ (ס)
(2) When you acquire a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years; in the seventh year he shall go free, without payment. (3) If he came single, he shall leave single; if he had a wife, his wife shall leave with him. (4) If his master gave him a wife, and she has borne him children, the wife and her children shall belong to the master, and he shall leave alone. (5) But if the slave declares, “I love my master, and my wife and children: I do not wish to go free,” (6) his master shall take him before God. He shall be brought to the door or the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall then remain his slave for life.
קָנָה (v) heb
-
- to get, acquire, create, buy, possess
- (Qal)
- to get, acquire, obtain
- of God originating, creating, redeeming His people
- possessor
- of Eve acquiring
- of acquiring knowledge, wisdom
- of God originating, creating, redeeming His people
- to buy
- to get, acquire, obtain
- (Niphal) to be bought
- (Hiphil) to cause to possess
- (Qal)
- to get, acquire, create, buy, possess
"In biblical Hebrew, the root ק.נ.ה. can mean to acquire, but it can also mean to “create,”3 signaling a creation that comes through acquisition. God’s acquisition of the Hebrew slaves demonstrates how to “acquire” someone in a position of subjugation so that they become free and can create themselves anew. The language of redemption as “acquiring” Israel rings with the overtones of the Song at the Sea, where we describe ourselves as “עם זו קנית - the people You acquired.” Like a rebirth, coming through the waters of the sea into God’s acquisition was a moment of creating ourselves as a new people."
Dr. Aviva Richman, Hadar
UNDOING SLAVERY AND ACQUIRING OURSELVES,Parashat Mishpatim
https://www.hadar.org/torah-tefillah/resources/undoing-slavery-and-acquiring-ourselves
(א) וְהָ֣אָדָ֔ם יָדַ֖ע אֶת־חַוָּ֣ה אִשְׁתּ֑וֹ וַתַּ֙הַר֙ וַתֵּ֣לֶד אֶת־קַ֔יִן וַתֹּ֕אמֶר קָנִ֥יתִי אִ֖ישׁ אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה׃
(1) Now the Human knew*. his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gained*gained Echoing the Heb. wordplay: qanithi, connected with “Cain”; lit. “created, acquired.” a person with יהוה.”
(טז) תִּפֹּ֨ל עֲלֵיהֶ֤ם אֵימָ֙תָה֙ וָפַ֔חַד בִּגְדֹ֥ל זְרוֹעֲךָ֖ יִדְּמ֣וּ כָּאָ֑בֶן עַד־יַעֲבֹ֤ר עַמְּךָ֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה עַֽד־יַעֲבֹ֖ר עַם־ז֥וּ קָנִֽיתָ׃
(16) Terror and dread descend upon them;
Through the might of Your arm they are still as stone—
Till Your people cross over, יהוה,
Till Your people cross whom You have ransomed.
(מא) וְיָצָא֙ מֵֽעִמָּ֔ךְ ה֖וּא וּבָנָ֣יו עִמּ֑וֹ וְשָׁב֙ אֶל־מִשְׁפַּחְתּ֔וֹ וְאֶל־אֲחֻזַּ֥ת אֲבֹתָ֖יו יָשֽׁוּב׃ (מב) כִּֽי־עֲבָדַ֣י הֵ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־הוֹצֵ֥אתִי אֹתָ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם לֹ֥א יִמָּכְר֖וּ מִמְכֶּ֥רֶת עָֽבֶד׃ (מג) לֹא־תִרְדֶּ֥ה ב֖וֹ בְּפָ֑רֶךְ וְיָרֵ֖אתָ מֵאֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃
(41) Then they, along with any children, shall be free of your authority; they shall go back to their family and return to the ancestral holding.— (42) For they are My servants, whom I freed from the land of Egypt; they may not give themselves over into servitude.— (43) You shall not rule over them ruthlessly; you shall fear your God.
(יג) כִּֽי־אַ֭תָּה קָנִ֣יתָ כִלְיֹתָ֑י תְּ֝סֻכֵּ֗נִי בְּבֶ֣טֶן אִמִּֽי׃ (יד) אוֹדְךָ֗ עַ֤ל כִּ֥י נֽוֹרָא֗וֹת נִ֫פְלֵ֥יתִי נִפְלָאִ֥ים מַעֲשֶׂ֑יךָ וְ֝נַפְשִׁ֗י יֹדַ֥עַת מְאֹֽד׃
You fashioned me in my mother’s womb. (14) I praise You,
for I am awesomely, wondrously made;
Your work is wonderful;
I know it very well.
(ה) בּוֹא וּרְאֵה כַּמָּה מְשֻׁבַּחַת פָּרָשָׁה זוֹ, כַּמָּה פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת בָּהּ וְכַמָּה אַזְהָרוֹת הִזְהִיר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּפָרָשָׁה זוֹ (שמות כא, ב): כִּי תִקְנֶה עֶבֶד עִבְרִי, (שמות כא, ז): כִּי יִמְכֹּר אִישׁ אֶת בִּתּוֹ לְאָמָה, (שמות כא, טו): וּמַכֵּה אָבִיו. וּמָה עִנְיַן אֵלּוּ לְאֵלּוּ, אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֲנִי קָנִיתִי אֶתְכֶם בְּמִצְרַיִם בְּעֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת שֶׁהֶרְאֵיתִי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קלט, יד): נִפְלָאִים מַעֲשֶׂיךָ וְנַפְשִׁי יֹדַעַת מְאֹד, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאַתֶּם מְצֻוִּים לֹא תַעֲבֹד בְּאָחִיךָ יוֹתֵר מִשֵּׁשׁ שָׁנִים, שֶׁלֹא בָּרָאתִי אֶת הָעוֹלָם אֶלָּא לְשִׁשָּׁה יָמִים, לְפִיכָךְ נָתַתִּי לְךָ שֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים שֶׁתְּהֵא רַשַּׁאי לַעֲבֹד בְּעֶבֶד עִבְרִי.
(5) Come and see how excellent this portion is. How many sections are in it, and how many prohibitions the Holy One blessed be He cautioned Israel in this portion: “If you purchase a Hebrew slave” (Exodus 21:2); “if a man sells his daughter as a maidservant” (Exodus 21:7); “one who strikes his father” (Exodus 21:15).
What does this matter have in common with that? The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘I acquired you in Egypt with the ten plagues that I displayed, as it is stated: “Wondrous are Your works; I know this well” (Psalms 139:14).16The previous verse in Psalms states: “For you have formed [kanita] my innermost parts.” The word kanita can also be translated “you have acquired.” Thus, the midrash is interpreting these two verses to mean that God has acquired us through His wondrous works, i.e. the ten plagues, which are referred to as wonders (see Exodus 3:20). Just as you are commanded not to enslave your brother more than six years, as I created the world in only six days; therefore, I granted you six years that you are permitted to enslave a Hebrew slave.
(ד) כִּ֣י תִפְגַּ֞ע שׁ֧וֹר אֹֽיִבְךָ֛ א֥וֹ חֲמֹר֖וֹ תֹּעֶ֑ה הָשֵׁ֥ב תְּשִׁיבֶ֖נּוּ לֽוֹ׃ {ס} (ה) כִּֽי־תִרְאֶ֞ה חֲמ֣וֹר שֹׂנַאֲךָ֗ רֹבֵץ֙ תַּ֣חַת מַשָּׂא֔וֹ וְחָדַלְתָּ֖ מֵעֲזֹ֣ב ל֑וֹ עָזֹ֥ב תַּעֲזֹ֖ב עִמּֽוֹ׃ {ס} (ו) לֹ֥א תַטֶּ֛ה מִשְׁפַּ֥ט אֶבְיֹנְךָ֖ בְּרִיבֽוֹ׃ (ז) מִדְּבַר־שֶׁ֖קֶר תִּרְחָ֑ק וְנָקִ֤י וְצַדִּיק֙ אַֽל־תַּהֲרֹ֔ג כִּ֥י לֹא־אַצְדִּ֖יק רָשָֽׁע׃ (ח) וְשֹׁ֖חַד לֹ֣א תִקָּ֑ח כִּ֤י הַשֹּׁ֙חַד֙ יְעַוֵּ֣ר פִּקְחִ֔ים וִֽיסַלֵּ֖ף דִּבְרֵ֥י צַדִּיקִֽים׃ (ט) וְגֵ֖ר לֹ֣א תִלְחָ֑ץ וְאַתֶּ֗ם יְדַעְתֶּם֙ אֶת־נֶ֣פֶשׁ הַגֵּ֔ר כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (י) וְשֵׁ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים תִּזְרַ֣ע אֶת־אַרְצֶ֑ךָ וְאָסַפְתָּ֖ אֶת־תְּבוּאָתָֽהּ׃ (יא) וְהַשְּׁבִיעִ֞ת תִּשְׁמְטֶ֣נָּה וּנְטַשְׁתָּ֗הּ וְאָֽכְלוּ֙ אֶבְיֹנֵ֣י עַמֶּ֔ךָ וְיִתְרָ֕ם תֹּאכַ֖ל חַיַּ֣ת הַשָּׂדֶ֑ה כֵּֽן־תַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה לְכַרְמְךָ֖ לְזֵיתֶֽךָ׃ (יב) שֵׁ֤שֶׁת יָמִים֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה מַעֲשֶׂ֔יךָ וּבַיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖י תִּשְׁבֹּ֑ת לְמַ֣עַן יָנ֗וּחַ שֽׁוֹרְךָ֙ וַחֲמֹרֶ֔ךָ וְיִנָּפֵ֥שׁ בֶּן־אֲמָתְךָ֖ וְהַגֵּֽר׃
(4) When you encounter your enemy’s ox or ass wandering, you must take it back. (5) When you see the ass of your enemy lying under its burden and would refrain from raising it, you must nevertheless help raise it. (6) You shall not subvert the rights of your needy in their disputes. (7) Keep far from a false charge; do not bring death on those who are innocent and in the right, for I will not acquit the wrongdoer. (8) Do not take bribes, for bribes blind the clear-sighted and upset the pleas of those who are in the right. (9) You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt. (10) Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; (11) but in the seventh you shall let it rest and lie fallow. Let the needy among your people eat of it, and what they leave let the wild beasts eat. You shall do the same with your vineyards and your olive groves. (12) Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor, in order that your ox and your ass may rest, and that your home-born slave and the stranger may be refreshed.
Targum Onkelos... is the primary Jewish Aramaic targum ("translation") of the Torah, accepted as an authoritative translated text of the Five Books of Moses and thought to have been written in the early second century CE......Authorship of the Targum Onkelos is traditionally attributed to Onkelos, a famous convert to Judaism in Tannaic times (c. 35–120 CE) (Wikipedia)
(יג) הַפּוֹגֵעַ בִּשְׁנַיִם אֶחָד רוֹבֵץ תַּחַת מַשָּׂאוֹ וְאֶחָד פָּרַק מֵעָלָיו וְלֹא מָצָא מִי שֶׁיִּטְעֹן עִמּוֹ. מִצְוָה לִפְרֹק בַּתְּחִלָּה מִשּׁוּם צַעַר בַּעֲלֵי חַיִּים וְאַחַר כָּךְ טוֹעֵן. בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים כְּשֶׁהָיוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם שׂוֹנְאִים אוֹ אוֹהֲבִים. אֲבָל אִם הָיָה אֶחָד שׂוֹנֵא וְאֶחָד אוֹהֵב מִצְוָה לִטְעֹן עִם הַשּׂוֹנֵא תְּחִלָּה כְּדֵי לָכֹף אֶת יִצְרוֹ הָרַע:
(13) When a person encounters two individuals: one whose donkey is fallen under its load and one with a donkey whose burden has been unloaded, but who cannot find anyone to help him reload it, it is a mitzvah to unload the fallen donkey first, because of the discomfort suffered by the animal. Afterwards, he should reload the other animal.
When does the above apply? When the two people he encounters are both friends or both enemies. If, however, the one whose donkey must be reloaded is an enemy and the other is a friend, it is a mitzvah for the passerby to reload his enemy's donkey first, in order to subjugate his evil inclination.
Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (Hebrew: רמב״ם) was a Sephardic rabbi and philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars of the Middle Ages. In his time, he was also a preeminent astronomer and physician, serving as the personal physician of Saladin. He was born and lived in Córdoba within the Almoravid Empire (present-day Spain), on Passover eve, 1138 (or 1135)[d], until his family was expelled for refusing to convert to Islam. Later, he lived in Morocco and Egypt and worked as a rabbi, physician and philosopher. (Wikipedia)
(א) בֶּן זוֹמָא אוֹמֵר, אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קיט) מִכָּל מְלַמְּדַי הִשְׂכַּלְתִּי כִּי עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שִׂיחָה לִּי. אֵיזֶהוּ גִבּוֹר, הַכּוֹבֵשׁ אֶת יִצְרוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי טז) טוֹב אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם מִגִּבּוֹר וּמשֵׁל בְּרוּחוֹ מִלֹּכֵד עִיר.
(1) Ben Zoma said: Who is wise? He who learns from every man, as it is said: “From all who taught me have I gained understanding” (Psalms 119:99). Who is mighty? He who subdues his [evil] inclination, as it is said: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32).
הלך וישב לו, ואמר: הואיל ועליך מצוה אם רצונך לפרוק פרוק, פטור-- שנאמר "עמו". אם היה זקן או חולה, חייב.
(ח) וְכֵן כָּל הַנּוֹטֵר לְאֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל עוֹבֵר בְּלֹא תַּעֲשֶׂה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא יט יח) "וְלֹא תִטֹּר אֶת בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ".
כֵּיצַד הִיא הַנְּטִירָה.
רְאוּבֵן שֶׁאָמַר לְשִׁמְעוֹן הַשְׂכֵּר לִי בַּיִת זֶה אוֹ הַשְׁאִילֵנִי שׁוֹר זֶה וְלֹא רָצָה שִׁמְעוֹן. לְיָמִים בָּא שִׁמְעוֹן לִרְאוּבֵן לִשְׁאל מִמֶּנּוּ אוֹ לִשְׂכֹּר מִמֶּנּוּ וְאָמַר לוֹ רְאוּבֵן הֵא לְךָ הֲרֵינִי מַשְׁאִילְךָ וְאֵינִי כְּמוֹתְךָ לֹא אֲשַׁלֵּם לְךָ כְּמַעֲשֶׂיךָ. הָעוֹשֶׂה כָּזֶה עוֹבֵר בְּלֹא תִטֹּר. אֶלָּא יִמְחֶה הַדָּבָר מִלִּבּוֹ וְלֹא יִטְּרֶנּוּ. שֶׁכָּל זְמַן שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֵר אֶת הַדָּבָר וְזוֹכְרוֹ שֶׁמָּא יָבוֹא לִנְקֹם. לְפִיכָךְ הִקְפִּידָה תּוֹרָה עַל הַנְּטִירָה עַד שֶׁיִּמְחֶה הֶעָוֹן מִלִּבּוֹ וְלֹא יִזְכְּרֶנּוּ כְּלָל.
וְזוֹ הִיא הַדֵּעָה הַנְּכוֹנָה שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיִּתְקַיֵּם בָּהּ יִשּׁוּב הָאָרֶץ וּמַשָּׂאָם וּמַתָּנָם שֶׁל בְּנֵי אָדָם זֶה עִם זֶה:
(8) Similarly, anyone who holds a grudge against another Jew violates a Torah prohibition, as [Leviticus 19:18] states: "Do not bear a grudge against the children of your people."
What is meant by bearing a grudge? Reuven asked Shimon, "Rent this house to me," or "lend this ox to me," and Shimon was not willing [to do so]. A few days later, Shimon came to borrow or rent something from him. Reuven told him, "Here, it is. I am lending it to you. I am not like you, nor am I paying you back for what you did."
A person who acts in this manner violates the prohibition against bearing a grudge. Instead [of doing so], he should wipe the matter from his heart and never bring it to mind. As long as he brings the matter to mind and remembers it, there is the possibility that he will seek revenge. Therefore, the Torah condemned holding a grudge, [requiring] one to wipe the wrong from his heart entirely, without remembering it at all.
This is a proper quality which permits a stable environment, trade, and commerce to be established among people.
“In the matter of one’s enemy’s animal that has collapsed under its load, we should recognize first that it’s taken for granted that one would assist a friend in that situation. The Torah is making the point that even in the situation where one might self-righteously think that the fool got what he deserved for overloading his animal, that he’s made his bed and now he’s going to sleep in it—that is precisely the situation in which one must act in the most responsible way. One must assist the owner in unpacking the animal’s load and then in repacking it. The Talmud and other sources debate whether the reason for this obligation is out of concern for the animal or to take the opportunity to overcome one’s most negative impulses. Maimonides concludes (Laws of Murder and Preservation of Life, 13:13) that the core motivation here is the latter. We are to walk into a situation that will challenge us deeply precisely because that is the case. We have to get over ourselves in order to make ours the kind of society it’s meant to be.”
Our passage, then, calls on each of us to do three things, none of which is easy and each of which is in some tension with the other two: always to act as an individual, to recognize the significance each of us can play in every situation, even if it is only to speak our truth; always to act in the interest of the community of which we are a part—as we experienced slavery together, we need to sustain a society that tolerates no oppression; even as we need always to be vigilant and present, we need also to get out of the way because most of the time, it’s not really about us.
Rabbi Joel Alter, I Can’t Stand My Neighbor, but His Ox Needs a Hand
http://learn.jtsa.edu/content/commentary/mishpatim/5775/i-can’t-stand-my-neighbor-his-ox-needs-hand
“Your enemy … your adversary …” The requirement applies to animals belonging to your enemy and your adversary, not just those owned by your friends and relatives. Why was it necessary to specify that the straying ox is your enemy’s and that the donkey collapsing under its load belongs to our adversary?
It seems to me that the Torah seeks to emphasize that we have moral responsibilities toward the “other” regardless of that “other’s” behavior toward us. Unacceptable behavior by someone else does not justify improper behavior on our part.
In other words, the way our enemies treat us cannot be the yardstick by which we measure the way we treat them.
Rabbi Ehud Bandel, Torah for this Hour 2/8/2024
https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/02/torahforthishour020824/
Vulnerability as a portal to the divine:
It may even be the case, as is implied by the rejected rock verse and the Moshe example, that God actually feels in some way closer to the stranger, to the vulnerable, to the rejected and exiled ones. If the disadvantaged cry out, the Torah says, then God hears it right away and responds. The door for these cries is always open above. Or to think of it another way, God finds such people and such parts within us to be particularly suitable and open instruments for the divine flow. They are holes, like the wide open mouth of the cry, holes of vulnerability inside us, and these holes open us — if we are brave enough to be with them and love them and not reject them — to the divine; they are portals of sacredness. Because of their sense of inadequacy and exclusion, they are always reaching, wanting something, yearning for God. When we welcome them in, when we welcome the holes, they shift from being outsiders in this world to insiders in another world; if we welcome and love them, they lead us to God; they help us see the pathway to redemption, to a world of inclusion, a great big circle with no one outside.
The Stranger Inside Us (Parashat Mishpatim)
Dr. Rachel Anisfeld
The braying of the fallen donkey
does not quench the clamour,
does not drown the voice of protest
within an angry heart.
The piteous sight of flailing limbs
does not shift the stony mask,
does not ease the bitterness
of ire and affront.
Yet as you labour with your foe,
heaving up his laden beast,
the turmoil ebbs, the mask dissolves:
you drop your load on harrowed earth.
Elizabeth Topper
https://parashapoems.wordpress.com/2015/02/11/mishpatim-the-burden/
Resources:
Rabbi Aviva Richman, Hadar, Undoing Slavery and Acquiring Ourselves
https://www.hadar.org/torah-tefillah/resources/undoing-slavery-and-acquiring-ourselves
Dr. Rachel Anisfeld, The Stranger Inside Us, Parshat Mishpatim.
https://rachelanisfeld.com/2022/01/24/parashat-mishpatim-the-stranger-inside-us/
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Mishpatim, Helping an Enemy
https://rabbisacks.org/covenant-conversation/mishpatim/helping-an-enemy/
Rabbi Joel Alter, I Can't Stand My Neighbor, His Ox Needs a Hand
https://www.jtsa.edu/torah/i-cant-stand-my-neighbor-but-his-ox-needs-a-hand/