{"id":42208,"date":"2018-07-09T18:50:43","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T15:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wall\/wall-71\/"},"modified":"2023-05-30T12:42:02","modified_gmt":"2023-05-30T09:42:02","slug":"wall-71","status":"publish","type":"wall","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wall\/wall-71\/","title":{"rendered":"chapter-Torah-Exodus-21"},"parent":0,"template":"","acf":{"type":"chapter","wall_id":"71","date":"20251207","book":"Exodus","chapter":"21","chapter_main_number":"71","books_group":"Torah","posts":[{"order":1,"id":"42390","color":"#f8ebe3","size":"1","name":"Exodus 21 - Judy Hammond ","post_title":"Exodus 21 - Judy Hammond","slug":"exodus-21-judy-hammond","old_id":"42390","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34686,"post_title":"Soundcloud","slug":"soundcloud","old_id":"34686","first_name":"","last_name":"","description":"","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34656,"alt":"","title":"491","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","width":300,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium_large-width":300,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","large-width":300,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","1536x1536-width":300,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","2048x2048-width":300,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","post_full_size-width":300,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","home_baner-width":300,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"71","type_929":"4","show_author_image":true,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"The Audio Bible","tile_main_caption":"Exodus 21","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"read by Judy Hammond","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/929-bible\/exodus-chapter-21-read-by-judy-hammond","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"21","chapter_main_number":"71","date":"20251207","wall_id":"71"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":2,"id":"42394","color":"#f7f7f5","size":"1","name":"Slavery: Condoned - or Condemned? ","post_title":"Slavery: Condoned - or Condemned?","slug":"slavery-condoned-or-condemned","old_id":"42394","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":false,"related_cahpter":"71","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Read the posts for today's chapter that explore the question:","tile_main_caption":"Slavery: Condoned - or Condemned?","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Do the laws regulating slavery imply implicit criticism of the idea of slavery - or acceptance of the practice?","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":40278,"alt":"","title":"shutterstock_507761002","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shutterstock_507761002-e1537158043750.jpg","width":2674,"height":2858,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shutterstock_507761002-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shutterstock_507761002-281x300.jpg","medium-width":281,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shutterstock_507761002-768x821.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":821,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shutterstock_507761002-958x1024.jpg","large-width":958,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shutterstock_507761002-e1537158043750.jpg","1536x1536-width":1437,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shutterstock_507761002-e1537158043750.jpg","2048x2048-width":1916,"2048x2048-height":2048,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shutterstock_507761002-1123x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":1123,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shutterstock_507761002-393x420.jpg","home_baner-width":393,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"21","chapter_main_number":"71","date":"20251207","wall_id":"71"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":3,"id":"104812","color":"#f7e9e9","size":"1","name":"Changing The Narrative On Slavery ","post_title":"Changing The Narrative On Slavery","slug":"changing-the-narrative-on-slavery","old_id":"104812","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":78133,"post_title":"Josh Blechner","slug":"josh-blechner","old_id":"78133","first_name":"Josh ","last_name":"Blechner ","description":"Josh first finished the Tanach during Yeshiva in Mevaseret Zion. He and his daughter studied the Tanach again for her bat mitzvah. Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group. When not studying for 929, Josh works as an in-house lawyer in New Jersey.","short_description":"Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group, and is an in-house attorney in New Jersey. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":78134,"alt":"","title":"josh blechner","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","width":276,"height":351,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-236x300.jpg","medium-width":236,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","medium_large-width":276,"medium_large-height":351,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","large-width":276,"large-height":351,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","1536x1536-width":276,"1536x1536-height":351,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","2048x2048-width":276,"2048x2048-height":351,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","post_full_size-width":276,"post_full_size-height":351,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","home_baner-width":276,"home_baner-height":351}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"71","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"God rewrites the rulebook\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

This chapter, which begins the portion of Mishpatim, opens with the word \u201cand:\u201d <\/span>\u201c<\/b>And these are the rules that you shall set before them\u201d (verse 1).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Rashi explains that the \u201cand\u201d is meant to link the Ten Commandments and this portion to explain that these were also given on Mt. Sinai. His second answer links these civil laws with the immediately preceding laws about the altar to explain that in the future, the Sanhedrin court should be placed in the Temple complex.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Ramban explains that this section is linked to the portion in the previous chapter starting in verse 20 about idolatry. Those verses and these verses are linked to the Ten Commandments which also began with spiritual laws and ended with civil laws. The idea is that these verses expand on the Ten Commandments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Sforno gets even more specific. He links the commandment against coveting your neighbor\u2019s property and this section. The commandment was only about one's thoughts, without any action. This chapter discusses actual physical interactions with other people\u2019s property. Chizkuni has a similar idea. The Ten Commandments provided civil laws without consequences. Here, the civil laws are connected to specific consequences. The answer may also be a combination of a few of these.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In the last chapter, it was unclear how to break up the Ten Commandments. Chief among the questions was whether \u201cI God am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage\u201d (20:2) was the first commandment or an introductory sentence. If it is described as an introductory sentence, then it links nicely with the start of this chapter and could be read as follows:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cI God am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage\u2026and these are the rules that you shall set before them\/when you acquire a Hebrew slave, that person shall serve six years\u2014and shall go free in the seventh year, without payment.\u201d (20:2, 21:1-2).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This links up thematically. God took the people out of Egypt, which provides the divine authority to set out a new set of rules. Chief among the rules that God sets out is about slavery: God took us out of Egypt in order that we should not be slaves again. The rules of slavery are explicit, and very strict. Slavery was a prevalent facet of life in the ancient world (and unfortunately still is, in certain cultures). God does not eliminate the practice, but using the gravitas of the Exodus, God changes the narrative on slavery. That is why this chapter is linked to the Ten Commandments. If God is setting out to rewrite the rulebook, God had to show his power through the Exodus.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":104813,"alt":"","title":"-62801b9ce191a--62801b9ce191cex21-slavery 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the Rabbi Got It Wrong ","post_title":"When The Rabbi Got It Wrong","slug":"when-the-rabbi-got-it-wrong","old_id":"42327","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34235,"post_title":"Marc Gitler","slug":"marc-gitler","old_id":"34235","first_name":"Marc","last_name":"Gitler","description":"Rabbi Marc Gitler, a recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, and earned an MPA from NYU . The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Sarah and their four children. He used to work for 929 North America.\r\n","short_description":"Rabbi Marc Gitler, founder of Fast for Feast, lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Sarah and their four children. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34236,"alt":"","title":"Marc Gitler","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler.jpg","width":407,"height":407,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler.jpg","medium_large-width":407,"medium_large-height":407,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler.jpg","large-width":407,"large-height":407,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler.jpg","1536x1536-width":407,"1536x1536-height":407,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler.jpg","2048x2048-width":407,"2048x2048-height":407,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler.jpg","post_full_size-width":407,"post_full_size-height":407,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler.jpg","home_baner-width":407,"home_baner-height":407}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"71","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Different Jewish takes on slavery in 19th century America","post_main_content_content":"

Some Biblical rules like slavery don\u2019t stand the test of time, thus it is no surprise that many rabbinic sermons also fail.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

On Friday January 4th 1861, Rabbi Morris Raphall ascended his pulpit in the second oldest synagogue in New York, B\u2019nai Jeshurun. Just days earlier President James Buchanan had proclaimed the day as one of \u201chumiliation, fasting, and prayer,\u201d because the country was \u201cthreatened with alarming and immediate danger,\u201d due to slavery. Buchanan implored Americans \u201cwith deep contrition and penitent sorrow, [to] unite in humbling ourselves before the Most High, in confessing our individual and national sins,\u201d Raphall disagreed.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In a lengthy sermon, later published in a forty plus page pamphlet, Raphall argued that slavery has existed since earliest times, and is \u201can integral part of the social structure.\u201d Not only is it not a sin, but \u201cslave property is expressly placed under the protection of the Ten Commandments.\u201d He called Noah\u2019s cursing of his grandson Ham a bitter curse that \u201cto this day remains a fact\u2026 the unfortunate negro is indeed the meanest of slaves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Raphall\u2019s views were met with \u201cfiery attacks and declamations,\u201d but he insisted that facts are facts, and wrote in the preface to the publication that his \u201cdiscourse will not fall, for it embodies the word of our God, which standeth good forever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Of course, there were other voices. David Einhorn, a German born Rabbi and the leader of Reform Judaism in America, disputed Raphall\u2019s arguments. He reasoned that our history as slaves in Egypt should make us more sensitive to the predicament of slaves. He dismissed the assertion that the ten commandments defined slaves as property, and argued that biblical precedent could not justify slavery, just as it couldn\u2019t defend bigamy, even though Abraham had two wives.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Sometimes the rabbis are spot on, but the congregants fail miserably.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Einhorn delivered his response when he was the rabbi of the oldest continual Reform congregation in America, Har Sinai Congregation in Baltimore, Maryland. Lying south of the Mason-Dixon line, Maryland was a slave state. On April 19<\/span>th<\/span>, 1861, just a week after the Civil War officially began, a riot broke out and Einhorn was forced to flee his home. Nearly two decades later, a New York Times obituary described how \u201cthe night before he left Baltimore a number of his friends had to surround his house to prevent his enemies from mobbing him.\u201d He relocated to Philadelphia, a city that lacked both slaves and mob \"justice.\"<\/span><\/p>\r\n

image: 'Am I not a man and a brother'? Society for the Abolition of Slavery in England in the 1780s. This woodcut accompanied John Greenleaf Whittier's anti slavery poem, 'Our Countrymen in Chains' of 1837. 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","post_title":"Biblical Support Of Bondage?","slug":"biblical-support-of-bondage","old_id":"42323","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":41606,"post_title":"Yael Landman","slug":"yael-landman","old_id":"41606","first_name":"Yael ","last_name":"Landman ","description":"Dr. Yael Landman is Visiting Research Fellow in Judaic Studies at Brooklyn College and Acquisitions Editor at Gorgias Press. She holds a PhD in Hebrew Bible from Yeshiva University and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, and has completed fellowships through the Association for Jewish Studies, the Tikvah Center for Law and Jewish Civilization at NYU School of Law, and the Center for Jewish Law and Contemporary Civilization at Cardozo School of Law. Yael has taught at Yeshiva College and the Drisha Institute. ","short_description":"Dr. Yael Landman is Visiting Research Fellow in Judaic Studies at Brooklyn College and Acquisitions Editor at Gorgias Press.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":41607,"alt":"","title":"Yael Landman","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Yael-Landman-e1538905276552.jpg","width":3197,"height":4747,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Yael-Landman-e1538905276552-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Yael-Landman-e1538905276552-202x300.jpg","medium-width":202,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Yael-Landman-e1538905276552-690x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":690,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Yael-Landman-e1538905276552-690x1024.jpg","large-width":690,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Yael-Landman-e1538905276552.jpg","1536x1536-width":1034,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Yael-Landman-e1538905276552.jpg","2048x2048-width":1379,"2048x2048-height":2048,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Yael-Landman-e1538905276552-808x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":808,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Yael-Landman-e1538905276552-283x420.jpg","home_baner-width":283,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"71","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Abolitionists and pro-slavery perspectives in the text","post_main_content_content":"

Proponents of slavery and abolitionists alike have quoted scripture to defend their positions on the institution. A passage in Exodus 21 illuminates a few biblical perspectives on slavery.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

If a slave-owner gives his temporary slave a wife, and they procreate, the owner keeps the wife and children when the slave leaves. However, the slave may opt to remain permanently under his owner\u2019s authority so as not to lose his family (Exod 21:2-6). In the act that formalizes the slave\u2019s term\u2019s continuance, \u201chis 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\u201d (Exod 21:6). Commentaries are split on how to interpret this verse: is the act a punitive sentence or a symbolic ritual?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Rabbinic literature (see Mekhilta; Qiddushin 22b) looks to the statement that the Israelites are <\/span>God\u2019s <\/span><\/i>slaves (Leviticus 25:55) \u2013 <\/span>not<\/span><\/i> slaves of slaves (other Israelites) \u2013 in viewing this ceremony to constitute punishment for having acquired an owner. Another view contends that slavery is a punishment for theft. (Historical side-note: In the ancient Near East, rebellious slaves could be branded as punishment. Though the slave in Exodus does not rebel against his owner, perhaps the rabbis had a similar practice in mind when casting him as rebelling against God.)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Others take an alternate approach that views the ceremony symbolically. Ibn Ezra and Rashbam, both medieval exegetes, interpret the piercing as a marker of slavery; the ancient Babylonian Laws of Eshnunna 51-52 similarly point to markers of slavery \u2013 like fetters, shackles, or a distinctive hairstyle \u2013 which would prevent fleeing. Meir Malul, a modern scholar, sees the door as signifying the border between what belongs inside and outside; setting the ceremony at the door symbolizes that the slave remains within the family\u2019s legal domain.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

A symbolic understanding of the ear-piercing ceremony is value-neutral about the social institution of slavery. In contrast, a punitive understanding suggests a negative evaluation \u2013 but of what, precisely? Does this view betray judgments of piercing (as mutilating, painful, degrading) or of slavery (that it is wrong in the eyes of God, and therefore punitive in and of itself), or perhaps of both?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Ultimately, when weighing all of the evidence \u2013 Exodus 21, other biblical passages, comparative data \u2013 against the history of interpretation, the reader should be sure to remember just how much is <\/span>not <\/span><\/i>in the text.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":104828,"alt":"","title":"-628098aa2240e--628098aa2240fex21-scale 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Support Of Bondage?","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Abolitionists and pro-slavery perspectives in the text","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":104828,"alt":"","title":"-628098aa2240e--628098aa2240fex21-scale 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Messy Business of Bringing the Law to Life ","post_title":"The Messy Business Of Bringing The Law To Life","slug":"the-messy-business-of-bringing-the-law-to-life","old_id":"42332","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33859,"post_title":"Avidan Freedman","slug":"avidan-freedman","old_id":"33859","first_name":"Avidan","last_name":"Freedman","description":"Rabbi Avidan Freedman is the Rabbi of Hevruta, the Shalom Hartman Institute's post high school program for Israelis and North Americans, and an educator in the institute's high school. He is an activist advocating for moral limits on Israeli arms exports, and on behalf of African refugees, and a proud husband and father of 5. He received his rabbinical ordination from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah in New York, and from the Israeli chief rabbinate.","credit":"","image_url":"","short_description":"Rabbi Avidan Freedman is the Rabbi of Hevruta, the Shalom Hartman Institute's post high school program for Israelis and North Americans, and an educator in the institute's high school. ","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":33860,"alt":"Avidan Freedman","title":"Avidan Freedman","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365.jpg","width":856,"height":1024,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-251x300.jpg","medium-width":251,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-768x919.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":919,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-856x1024.jpg","large-width":856,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365.jpg","1536x1536-width":856,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365.jpg","2048x2048-width":856,"2048x2048-height":1024,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-800x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-351x420.jpg","home_baner-width":351,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"71","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"A Torah of life vs a Torah of eternity ","post_main_content_content":"

After 70 chapters of drama, intrigue, and adventure, (dotted with the occasional long list of 'begats'), chapter 21 of Exodus sees the Torah's balance shift from narrative to <\/span>nomos<\/span><\/em>. Parshat Mishpatim contains 52 commandments, more than all of the Torah combined until this point.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

But unlike the apodictic imperatives of the ten commandments, these laws are case-based. Every law comes with a story, marked by the words 'when' and 'if'. The lofty ideals of Sinai are brought down to earth, to the realities of daily living, and sometimes it's a messy business. As much as I can appreciate the Torah's regulation and limitation of slavery, it's hard not to feel disturbed and disappointed that the Torah leaves slavery as an option at all, or that there are differences between slaves and free men in areas like the laws of damages. But for the Torah to be relevant to the real lives of the people receiving it, there was no choice but to \"speak in the language of human beings.\" To demand the end of slavery then would have been as meaningless and ineffective as demanding of us the immediate disposal of every one of our possessions that was made in China.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This might serve to justify certain laws as necessary for the Torah to be a \"Torah of life\", but it raises difficult questions about how the Torah can be a \"Torah of eternity\", relevant as much now as it was then. In order to accomplish this, God needs partners; He needs boots on the ground. Why does this chapter follow the laws of the altar, Rashi asks? To teach us that the Jewish high court of law, the Sanhedrin, was to be located inside the Temple, next to the altar.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

God empowers the heroes of the Oral law to bring the Torah to life by interpreting it and applying it in the way appropriate for their particular generation. No wonder that in our chapter, whose every verse is the basis of literally hundreds of pages of rabbinic discussion, the court is referred to with God's name, as '<\/span>elohim<\/span><\/i>'. The story of these laws is still live, it is still being written every day, and it is one full of drama, intrigue and adventure.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":56538,"alt":"","title":"jud21-judge","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge.png","width":900,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge-211x300.png","medium-width":211,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge-720x1024.png","medium_large-width":720,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge-720x1024.png","large-width":720,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge.png","1536x1536-width":900,"1536x1536-height":1280,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge.png","2048x2048-width":900,"2048x2048-height":1280,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge-844x1200.png","post_full_size-width":844,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge-295x420.png","home_baner-width":295,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"The Messy Business Of Bringing The Law To Life","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"A Torah of life vs a Torah of eternity ","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":56538,"alt":"","title":"jud21-judge","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge.png","width":900,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge-211x300.png","medium-width":211,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge-720x1024.png","medium_large-width":720,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge-720x1024.png","large-width":720,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge.png","1536x1536-width":900,"1536x1536-height":1280,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge.png","2048x2048-width":900,"2048x2048-height":1280,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge-844x1200.png","post_full_size-width":844,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/jud21-judge-295x420.png","home_baner-width":295,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"21","chapter_main_number":"71","date":"20251207","wall_id":"71"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"410","name":"Torah","old_id":"810"},{"term_id":"414","name":"Law","old_id":"814"}]},{"order":7,"id":"42329","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Details, Details ","post_title":"Details, Details","slug":"details-details","old_id":"42329","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33923,"post_title":"Jonathan Sacks","slug":"rabbi-lord-jonathan-sacks","old_id":"33923","first_name":"Jonathan ","last_name":"Sacks","description":"An international religious leader, philosopher, and award-winning author of over 35 books, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks served as the International President of 929.\r\nRabbi Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth years between 1991 and 2013, and was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen in 2005 and made a Life Peer. Rabbi Sacks passed away on 7th November 2020, aged 72. He was one of the greatest Jewish thinkers of the 20th century, who bridged the religious and secular world through his ground-breaking canon of work.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"short_description":"Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z\"k (1948-2020) was the former Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth, and the International 929 president.","link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36222,"alt":"","title":"JSacks","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","width":437,"height":548,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594-239x300.jpg","medium-width":239,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-768x448.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":448,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-1024x597.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":597,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","1536x1536-width":437,"1536x1536-height":548,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","2048x2048-width":437,"2048x2048-height":548,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","post_full_size-width":437,"post_full_size-height":548,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594-335x420.jpg","home_baner-width":335,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"71","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"The God of freedom seeks the free worship of free human beings in a free society","post_main_content_content":"

In chapter 20, there were the Aseret Hadibrot<\/em>, the \u201cten utterances\u201d or general principles. Now in chapter 21 come the details. Here is how they begin:<\/p>\r\n

If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything . . . But if the servant declares, \u2018I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,\u2019 then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life. (Ex. 21:2-6)<\/p>\r\n

There is an obvious question. Why begin here? There are 613 commandments in the Torah. Why does Mishpatim, the first law code, begin where it does?<\/p>\r\n

The answer is equally obvious. The Israelites have just endured slavery in Egypt. There must be a reason why this happened, for God knew it was going to happen. Evidently He intended it to happen. Centuries before He had already told Abraham it would happen.<\/p>\r\n

It seems that this was the necessary first experience of the Israelites as a nation. From the very start of the human story, the God of freedom sought the free worship of free human beings, but one after the other people abused that freedom: first Adam and Eve, then Cain, then the generation of the Flood, then the builders of Babel.<\/p>\r\n

God began again, this time not with all humanity, but with one man, one woman, one family, who would become pioneers of freedom. But freedom is difficult. We each seek it for ourselves, but we deny it to others when their freedom conflicts with ours. So deeply is this true that within three generations of Abraham\u2019s children, Joseph\u2019s brothers were willing to sell him into slavery: a tragedy that did not end until Judah was prepared to forfeit his own freedom that his brother Benjamin could go free.<\/p>\r\n

It took the collective experience of the Israelites, their deep, intimate, personal, backbreaking, bitter experience of slavery \u2013 a memory they were commanded never to forget \u2013 to turn them into a people who would no longer turn their brothers and sisters into slaves, a people capable of constructing a free society, the hardest of all achievements in the human realm.<\/p>\r\n

From <\/span>God\u2019s Nudge, Covenant & Conversation, Mishpatim <\/span><\/i>(5777)<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":104836,"alt":"","title":"-62809cac0be45--62809cac0be46ex21-emancipate liberate 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https:\/\/youtu.be\/HyRuluKiyms<\/p>","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Bible On the Bench","tile_main_caption":"Chapter 21: Connecting Heaven With Earth","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"with Shira Hecht-Koller and guest commentator, Benny Lau (founder, 929-Israel)","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/HyRuluKiyms","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"21","chapter_main_number":"71","date":"20251207","wall_id":"71"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"369","name":"Visual Arts","old_id":"769"}]},{"order":9,"id":"42325","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"It Should Not Enter Your Mind! ","post_title":"It Should Not Enter Your Mind!","slug":"it-should-not-enter-your-mind","old_id":"42325","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":38574,"post_title":"Rachel Bloch","slug":"rachel-bloch","old_id":"38574","first_name":"Rachel ","last_name":"Bloch ","description":"Rachel Bloch is an Information Architect living in Oakland, CA. She has studied at SVARA's Queer Talmud Camp and the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education. She holds a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago and a MLIS from the University of Maryland.","short_description":"Rachel Bloch is an Information Architect living in Oakland, CA.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":38575,"alt":"","title":"rachel bloch","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/rachel-bloch-e1535219999491.jpg","width":899,"height":1017,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/rachel-bloch-e1535219999491-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/rachel-bloch-e1535219999491-265x300.jpg","medium-width":265,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/rachel-bloch-e1535219999491-768x869.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":869,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/rachel-bloch-768x1024.jpg","large-width":768,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/rachel-bloch-e1535219999491.jpg","1536x1536-width":899,"1536x1536-height":1017,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/rachel-bloch-e1535219999491.jpg","2048x2048-width":899,"2048x2048-height":1017,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/rachel-bloch-900x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":900,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/rachel-bloch-e1535219999491-371x420.jpg","home_baner-width":371,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"71","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"The book should be read as pedagogy, not apology","post_main_content_content":"

\u201cBut if other damage ensues, the penalty shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, arm for arm, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Nineteen years ago I was a college student and was learning at the Drisha Institute in New York City. NYC is my hometown, but I was a stranger in the beit midrash. \u00a0In my first ever Talmud class, we were learning Bava Kamma 83b, which was the context in which I first learned these verses of Torah.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Mishnah quoted there enumerates the laws of liability for damages, taking as a given that \u201ceye for an eye\u201d actually refers to reasonable financial compensation, not gouging someone\u2019s eye out in retribution. The Gemara abruptly asks: \u201cWhy does the Mishnah not interpret our biblical verses literally?!\u201d and then answers its own question: \u201dIt should not even enter your mind!\u201d Over the next several pages, however, the Rabbis explain why a literal reading is preposterous; indicating that the Gemara anticipates it may in fact enter one\u2019s mind.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Are they apologizing for a text that is closer to Hammurabi than their contemporary views? I don\u2019t know, but I am glad they lay out the arguments for perpetuity. The Rabbis do not want blind followers, their vast ideas to be swallowed along with breakfast. We should not take their word for it.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

As a parent of adolescents who <\/span>never<\/b> take my word for it, l read this passage as closer to pedagogy than apology. I do not want to hear my opinions parroted back to me, because I\u2019m their mom and I said so. They were born debaters, and it is their job, as young adults, to challenge, argue, refute and test the limits. Like loving parents, the Rabbis are there to accept our challenges, our doubts, and guide us, by example.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

If we are the people of the book, it\u2019s fair to ask which book. One possible etymological root of the English word \u201cbook\u201d is \u201cbeech\u201d - of course the Tanakh itself was not written on paper until a few hundred years ago - but we do refer to it as the Tree of Life. In holding fast to it, our hearts and minds are integral partners with the Torah, not its mere subjects.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":92186,"alt":"","title":"pro3-tree of 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Should Not Enter Your Mind!","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"The book should be read as pedagogy, not apology","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":92186,"alt":"","title":"pro3-tree of 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and Tanakh ","post_title":"Hammurapi And 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The Laws of Hammurapi (18<\/span>th<\/span> century BCE), the founder of the Old Babylonian Empire, contain numerous parallels with biblical law, including the famous formulation of <\/span>lex-talionis<\/span><\/i>, \u201can eye for an eye.\u201d Biblical law codes share other provisions with the Laws of Hammurapi, including a case concerning the punishment of a repeat-offender homicidal ox (Exodus 21:36). Because ox-gorings were not common in the ancient world, it is likely that the biblical authors drew on Mesopotamian law in crafting their own legal tradition.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":42252,"alt":"","title":"exodus21_image","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image.jpg","width":1121,"height":1645,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image-204x300.jpg","medium-width":204,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image-698x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":698,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image-698x1024.jpg","large-width":698,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image.jpg","1536x1536-width":1047,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image.jpg","2048x2048-width":1121,"2048x2048-height":1645,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image-818x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":818,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image-286x420.jpg","home_baner-width":286,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Hammurapi And Tanakh","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"From the collection of George Blumenthal","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":42252,"alt":"","title":"exodus21_image","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image.jpg","width":1121,"height":1645,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image-204x300.jpg","medium-width":204,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image-698x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":698,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image-698x1024.jpg","large-width":698,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image.jpg","1536x1536-width":1047,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image.jpg","2048x2048-width":1121,"2048x2048-height":1645,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image-818x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":818,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/exodus21_image-286x420.jpg","home_baner-width":286,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"21","chapter_main_number":"71","date":"20251207","wall_id":"71"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"467","name":"Ancient Law","old_id":"867"},{"term_id":"555","name":"Archaeology","old_id":"955"}]},{"order":11,"id":"42424","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"MiliMiliM - The Hebrew Corner - Exodus 21 ","post_title":"MiliMiliM - The Hebrew Corner - Exodus 21","slug":"milimilim-the-hebrew-corner-exodus-21","old_id":"42424","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34011,"post_title":"Jeremy Benstein","slug":"dr-jeremy-benstein","old_id":"34011","first_name":"Jeremy","last_name":"Benstein","description":"Dr. Jeremy Benstein is the managing editor of 929-English. He is one of the founders of the Heschel Center for Sustainability. He writes the MiliMiliM - Hebrew Corner on the site, and is the author of a book about the Hebrew language, \"Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes: A Tribal Language in a Global World\" (Behrman House, 2019). ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"short_description":"Dr. Jeremy Benstein is the managing editor of 929-English, and is the author of a book about the Hebrew language, \"Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes: A Tribal Language in a Global World\" (Behrman House, 2019). ","link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34232,"alt":"","title":"Jeremy Benstein","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-300x169.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":169,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-768x432.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":432,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-1024x576.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":576,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1.jpg","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":720,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1.jpg","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":720,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-1200x675.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":675,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-747x420.jpg","home_baner-width":747,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"71","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"\u05e2\u05d1\u05d3 - 'Eved - Slave\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

21:2 - When you acquire \"eved 'ivri,<\/em>\u00a0a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years; in the seventh year he shall go free, without payment.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

With some of the Tanakh\u2019s central legislation regarding slavery, this chapter features the word \u2018eved<\/em>, \u201cslave,\u201d a total of seven times. \u2018Eved<\/em> comes from the root \u05e2-\u05d1-\u05d3, \u2018ayin-v-d<\/em>, which has a range of meanings covering \u201cwork, labor, service.\u201d (Note, the female form for slave is not from this root, but has two different possibilities: amah<\/em>, appearing four times in this chapter, and in other contexts, shifchah<\/em>). <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Slavery in Egypt, the \u201cbeit \u2018avadim<\/em>,\u201d the house of slavery,\u201d or bondage, of last chapter\u2019s Decalogue, was the defining oppression of the Jewish people. But of course this root can be used in quite positive connotations as well. For instance in the realm of physical labor, Genesis chapter 2, God\u2019s original command regarding the Garden, was \u201cle'ovdah uleshomrah<\/em>,\u201d to work it and watch it (or \u201cserve and preserve\u201d). <\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cService\u201d has a seemingly different range of connotations. In the saying that the \u201cworld stands on three things: on Torah, and on \u05e2\u05d1\u05d5\u05d3\u05d4, <\/span>'avodah<\/span><\/em>, and on <\/span>gemilut chasadim<\/span><\/em>\u201d<\/span><\/i> (deeds of loving kindness - Avot 1:2)\u2013 \u2018avodah<\/em> there means service to God, and as practiced in the Temple. And service implies servants: the names Ovadiah<\/em> in Hebrew, and Abdallah in Arabic, both mean \u201cservants to God.\u201d But do it with a smile: \u2018ivdu et hashem besimchah<\/em>\u201d \u201cserve God with joy\u201d (Psalm 100).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Yehudah Halevi summed up the traditional view succinctly: \u201c\u2018Ovdei hazman, \u2018ovdei \u2018avadim hem; rak \u2018eved Hashem hu levad chofshi<\/em>.\u201d Meaning: \u201cSlaves of time are slaves of slaves, only a slave of God is truly free.\u201d Hear this line in a lush and haunting musical setting, written and <\/span>performed by Israeli singer Eti Ankeri<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The two physical and spiritual sides aren\u2019t so very far apart from one another, however. The English words \"work\" and \"worship\" also share the same etymology, as do \"cult\" and \"cultivate.\"<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The contemporary use of this root has a number of manifestations. When we speak of the employee-employer relationship, it is \u201cyachasei \u2018oved-ma\u2019avid<\/em>.\u201d The Labor Party is mifleget Ha\u2019avodah<\/em>. Likewise, clearly if what one does in a \u201claboratory\u201d is \u201clabor\u201d then it makes sense to call it a \u201cma\u2019abadah<\/em>\u201d in Hebrew. Another form is \u201cme\u2019abed<\/em>\u201d and when modified by \u201cmazon<\/em>\u201d is a food processor, and by \u201ctamlili<\/em>\u201d (from \u201cmilah<\/em>\u201d, \u201cword\u201d) is a word processor. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

One interesting modern adaptation (\u2018ibud<\/em>) of a traditional phrase with the word \u201c\u2018avodah<\/em>\u201d is \u201c\u2018avodah zarah<\/em>.\u201d In religious parlance the phrase means \u201cforeign worship,\u201d i.e., idolatry. There is an entire tractate of the Talmud with this name that discusses idol worship. But in today\u2019s economy many speak of \u201covdim zarim<\/em>\u201d meaning foreign workers, thus by association, imputing a negative connotation to the phenomenon. <\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":104810,"alt":"","title":"-628010c0ae54c--628010c0ae54dex21-milim eved.jpg","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/10\/628010c0ae54c-628010c0ae54dex21-milim-eved.jpg.jpg","width":944,"height":622,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/10\/628010c0ae54c-628010c0ae54dex21-milim-eved.jpg-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/10\/628010c0ae54c-628010c0ae54dex21-milim-eved.jpg-300x198.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":198,"medium_large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/10\/628010c0ae54c-628010c0ae54dex21-milim-eved.jpg-768x506.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":506,"large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/10\/628010c0ae54c-628010c0ae54dex21-milim-eved.jpg.jpg","large-width":944,"large-height":622,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/10\/628010c0ae54c-628010c0ae54dex21-milim-eved.jpg.jpg","1536x1536-width":944,"1536x1536-height":622,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/10\/628010c0ae54c-628010c0ae54dex21-milim-eved.jpg.jpg","2048x2048-width":944,"2048x2048-height":622,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/10\/628010c0ae54c-628010c0ae54dex21-milim-eved.jpg.jpg","post_full_size-width":944,"post_full_size-height":622,"home_baner":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/10\/628010c0ae54c-628010c0ae54dex21-milim-eved.jpg-637x420.jpg","home_baner-width":637,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"MiliMiliM - 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Parshat Mishpatim and The Identity of God<\/span><\/a> by Rabbi Dianne Cohler-Esses: What is the relationship between interpersonal obligations and ritual laws? <\/span><\/p>\r\n

An Eye for an Eye by Rachel Kessler:<\/span><\/a> Explore how the Rabbis respond to and develop some of the more troubling verses from this chapter. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Go deeper into the chapter....","tile_main_caption":"Sefaria Source Sheets - Exodus 21","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Click to get links to learning resources","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":42232,"alt":"","title":"sefaria-words-sunburst","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","width":608,"height":395,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst-300x195.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":195,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","medium_large-width":608,"medium_large-height":395,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","large-width":608,"large-height":395,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","1536x1536-width":608,"1536x1536-height":395,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","2048x2048-width":608,"2048x2048-height":395,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","post_full_size-width":608,"post_full_size-height":395,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","home_baner-width":608,"home_baner-height":395}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"Sefaria word sunburst visualization","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"21","chapter_main_number":"71","date":"20251207","wall_id":"71"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":14,"id":"115667","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Points To Ponder: Exodus 21","post_title":"Points To Ponder: Exodus 21","slug":"points-to-ponder-exodus-21","old_id":"115667","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":false,"related_cahpter":"71","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"

    \r\n\t
  1. Who\u2019s in favor of emancipating slaves? <\/em>The Tanach. The biblical law regularizes the emancipation of slaves and their rights in order to limit the phenomenon of slavery. Note, too, that causing bodily harm to a slave is grounds for his release according to biblical law (verses 26-27).<\/li>\r\n\t
  2. Women\u2019s rights.<\/em> The female slave that is mentioned here is a woman who has been sold for the purposes of marriage. The man for whom she is intended has a prerogative of choice, but the woman also has rights: \u201cIf he takes another [into the household as his wife], he must not withhold from this one her she\u2019era, kesuta, onata - <\/em>\u00a0food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights\u201d (verse 10). What exactly is included in these duties of the man towards her? It depends on how the law is interpreted: traditionally as stated here - \u00a0food, clothing, and marital intimacy.<\/li>\r\n\t
  3. Take care of your parents\u2019 honor!<\/em> The biblical law that states \u201cOne who curses (mekalel<\/em>) one\u2019s father or mother shall be put to death\u201d (verse 17) is actually the practical application of the commandment to honor (kabed<\/em>) one\u2019s father and mother, from the Decalogue. (Note the word play between curse, mekalel<\/em>, from the root kal<\/em> \u201clight,\u201d and honor, kabed, <\/em>from the root kabed<\/em>, \u201cheavy\u201d). The most extreme form of disrespect is cursing. And for that - there is no forgiveness. Taken together, these laws testify to just how important the status of parents was in the biblical worldview.<\/li>\r\n\t
  4. \u201cAn eye for an eye<\/em>.\u201d The legal principle is that punishments should be commensurate and proportional (midah kneged midah, <\/em>\u201ctit for tat\u201d) \u00a0to all crimes of harming one\u2019s fellow. This approach emphasizes to the victimizer the significance of their actions. How should each case be applied? For that there is an entire library of interpretation.<\/li>\r\n\t
  5. Legal narratives<\/em>. The laws regarding the ox and the pit present real-life possibilities (at least, from biblical times) that try to concretize the laws of damages in people\u2019s lives. Try and imagine what the equivalents would be today of parallel examples from these laws in our lives today.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>","post_main_content_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"The Daily Summary","tile_main_caption":"Points to Ponder: Exodus 21","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Insights and questions for personal reflection and group discussion","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"21","chapter_main_number":"71","date":"20251207","wall_id":"71"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false}],"hide_acf":true,"home_image":false,"home_posts":false,"home_posts_title":"","posts_home":[],"static_cube_title":"","static_cube_brief":"","static_cube_color":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall\/42208"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wall"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}