Last week, in Parshat Yitro, we read the riveting account of Matan Torah – the highlight of spirituality in the history of the Jewish people. We heard lightening, saw thunder and experienced many amazing miracles. We received the Torah directly from HaShem and every single Jew heard Hashem speak - something that is completely beyond our understanding. It is truly an amazing story.
Immediately after this climax, we move into Mishpatim, a detailed list of the intricate laws of Judaism. This parsha is filled with the various topics such as an ox goring a cow, and an open pit in the public thoroughfare. This begs the question: why do we make such a drastic shift? It almost seems like a let-down, that after such a spiritual high, we go into the mundane aspects of the religion. What happened to all the thrill? The excitement? What is the Torah trying to tell us by juxtaposing these laws to the events at Har Sinai?
Perhaps, through answering this question we can understand what a relationship with HaShem is truly made of.
The placement of Parshat Mishpatim right after to Parshat Yitro is showing us that a relationship with HaShem is built through the minutiae; our connection to Him is actually characterized by these seemingly mundane laws. We learn from this Parsha that through keeping the laws in all of their details and intricacies, we are building a relationship with Him. As with in any relationship, it is not the exciting, fantastic moments that build the connection, but rather it is the small things that really make a difference: a hello, a thank-you note, a passing favor. These things show that one really cares about the other, down to the last detail. And it is all the details combined together that make a strong bond.
A perfect mashal for this idea is a tower: a tower seen from very far, looks as if it is made of one piece, yet when we come closer, we can see it's built up of many small parts; so too our relationship with HaShem is built up from these pieces of daily life. Through this weeks parsha, HaShem is trying to show us that the way to reach Him, and to re-connect with him the same way we experienced at Har Sinai, is through the keeping of these laws, of adding more and more pieces to our personal tower to heaven.
According to this, we can truly understand why it is important to keep mitzvot down to their fine points. Sometimes one may wonder about the importance or relevance of the detailed halachot that we keep each day. Why do these things matter? But we see from here that our relationship with HaShem is built through the details. These halachot show that we are not just here to live a thrilling existence, but we are committed to a true bond with Hashem. May we all have the wisdom and the strength to live up to this and show Hashem that we want a relationship with Him, and may we merit to see Him reciprocate that connection.
Shabbat Shalom
Naftali Kassorla
