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The Foundation
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Parshat Mishpatim: Exodus 21:1-24:18;
Jeremiah 34:8-34:22; 33:25-33:26.

T

he portion of Mishpatim
ing. We can understand the concept
begins with the Hebrew letter
of an inanimate soul. Things are alive
vov — the conjunction — con- if movement is present. People and
necting the 10 Commandments of last animals walk, plants grow. Rocks do
week with the civil ordinances of this
not move.
portion.
Moshe and the elders per-
The commentaries explain
ceived “sapphire bricks.” Each
that just as “believing in God”
channel of creative godliness
and “not worshipping idols”
is called a brick. As the Sefer
were heard on Sinai — so, too,
Yetzira writes, “With two
the mitzvahs of being kind to
bricks, one can build two
a slave, tort law and lending
houses, three bricks — six
without interest were heard on
houses, four bricks — 24
Sinai.
houses, five bricks — 120
Rabbi
Jews do not commit mur-
houses. HaShem created with
Hershel
der because we personally
the faculty of speech. HaShem
Finman
believe, think or feel it to be
said, ‘Let there be light, let
morally abhorrent. Nazis did
there be space, etc.’”
not commit murder; they just
Speech is comprised of
moved the line of what they believed
letters. Each letter, by itself, conveys
to be human existence. Having a moral no meaning. There are no one-letter
code based on Divine decree, however, words in Hebrew. From the letters
ensures the consistency of our morals. aleph and bais, two words can be
The end of this parshah states that
formed: av and ba. Add a gimmel and
Moses and Aaron, along with Nadav
six words can be formed: avg, agv, vag,
and Avihu (Aaron’s two sons) and the
vga, gav, gva. And so on.
70 elders, ascended (Mount Sinai).
Moshe and the elders perceived the
They saw the God of Israel, and
Divine channels as bricks and under-
under his feet was the likeness of sap-
stood that they were to incorporate
phire brickwork. It was the essence of
the Divine creation process, sapphire,
the heaven in purity.
into their daily life activities of making
There is an essential difference
unproductive dirt into constructive
between a brick and a rock. Rocks are
bricks, figuratively so.
natural — bricks are manmade. It is
possible to believe that bricks are more Rabbi Hershel Finman has been a teacher of
Judaism for 37 years and is host of “The Jewish
advantageous than rocks as they are
Hour” radio show, heard Sundays, 11 a.m.-noon,
easier to use in building. This was the
on WLQV 1500 AM and www.wlqv.com. He is also
mistake of the builders of the tower
codirector of Jewish Ferndale.
of Babel. They said, “Come let us use
bricks as rocks,” meaning let us do
something better than HaShem. Rocks,
CONVERSATIONS
however, are one of the greatest mani-
•
What is the need for having an
festations of HaShem.
unchanging
base for one’s morality?
Chassidus (Chasidic teachings)
•
Can’t
morality
be defined as what
explain that every creation is the result
people
currently
decide is moral?
of Divine revelation. This Divinity
•
How
is
it
possible
to ponder God’s
is that organism’s “soul.” In order for
presence,
even
in
the
physical?
godliness to descend into a lowly
•
What
responsibility
do
we really
existence, such as a rock, the Divinity
have
to
help
our
brethren?
must undergo a tremendous process-

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February 4 • 2016

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