Mishpatim: The extended version of Yitro

Connecting the text in Mishpatim with specific verses of the Ten Commandments.

The essential principle is that no one shall compel by violence one who is less powerful than he. The rules begin with violence exerted on the body by enslavement and continue by various rules that stem for this subject. This is followed by a section on criminality exerted against property. After all these come the rules about criminal actions that people perform in secret because they are afraid to do them in public. (Ibn Ezra)
Exodus Rabbah says, "The whole Torah is dependent on the rule of law - that is why the Holy One gave a set of laws after the Ten Commandments. (Ramban)

Exodus 20:1-14
1) I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage.
2) You shall have no other gods before Me
3) You shall not swear falsely by the name of Adonai your God.
4) Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
5) Honor your father and mother.
6) You shall not murder
7) You shall not commit adultery
8) You shall not steal
9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
10) You shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male or female slave, or his ox or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's.

שמות כ״ב:י״ט

(יט) זֹבֵ֥חַ לָאֱלֹהִ֖ים יׇֽחֳרָ֑ם בִּלְתִּ֥י לַיהֹוָ֖ה לְבַדּֽוֹ׃

(כד) לֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֤ה לֵאלֹֽהֵיהֶם֙ וְלֹ֣א תָֽעׇבְדֵ֔ם וְלֹ֥א תַעֲשֶׂ֖ה כְּמַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם כִּ֤י הָרֵס֙ תְּהָ֣רְסֵ֔ם וְשַׁבֵּ֥ר תְּשַׁבֵּ֖ר מַצֵּבֹתֵיהֶֽם׃

Exodus 22:19

(19) Whoever sacrifices to a god other than the LORD alone shall be proscribed. (I am Adonai your God...)...(24) you shall not bow down to their gods in worship or follow their practices, but shall tear them down and smash their pillars to bits.

שמות כ״ב:ל׳

(ל) וְאַנְשֵׁי־קֹ֖דֶשׁ

Exodus 22:30

(30) You shall be holy people to Me (Who took you out of the land of Egypt)

שמות כ״ג:א׳-ב׳

(א) לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֖א שֵׁ֣מַע שָׁ֑וְא אַל־תָּ֤שֶׁת יָֽדְךָ֙ עִם־רָשָׁ֔ע לִהְיֹ֖ת עֵ֥ד חָמָֽס׃ (ב) לֹֽא־תִהְיֶ֥ה אַחֲרֵֽי־רַבִּ֖ים לְרָעֹ֑ת וְלֹא־תַעֲנֶ֣ה עַל־רִ֗ב לִנְטֹ֛ת אַחֲרֵ֥י רַבִּ֖ים לְהַטֹּֽת׃

Exodus 23:1-2

(1) You must not carry false rumors; you shall not join hands with the guilty to act as a malicious witness: (2) You shall neither side with the mighty to do wrong—you shall not give perverse testimony in a dispute so as to pervert it in favor of the mighty^-a—(You shall not swear falsely by the name of Adonai your God)

שמות כ״ג:י׳

(י) וְשֵׁ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים תִּזְרַ֣ע אֶת־אַרְצֶ֑ךָ וְאָסַפְתָּ֖ אֶת־תְּבוּאָתָֽהּ׃

Exodus 23:10

(10) Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; (Shabbat)

שמות כ״א:ט״ו

(טו) וּמַכֵּ֥ה אָבִ֛יו וְאִמּ֖וֹ מ֥וֹת יוּמָֽת׃ {ס}

Exodus 21:15

(15) He who strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death. (Honor your father and mother)

שמות כ״א:י״ב

(יב) מַכֵּ֥ה אִ֛ישׁ וָמֵ֖ת מ֥וֹת יוּמָֽת׃

Exodus 21:12

(12) He who fatally strikes a man shall be put to death. (Don't murder)

שמות כ״ב:ט״ו

(טו) וְכִֽי־יְפַתֶּ֣ה אִ֗ישׁ בְּתוּלָ֛ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־אֹרָ֖שָׂה וְשָׁכַ֣ב עִמָּ֑הּ מָהֹ֛ר יִמְהָרֶ֥נָּה לּ֖וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃

Exodus 22:15

(15) If a man seduces a virgin for whom the bride-price has not been paid, and lies with her, he must make her his wife by payment of a bride-price.(Don't commit adultery)

שמות כ״א:ל״ז

(לז) כִּ֤י יִגְנֹֽב־אִישׁ֙ שׁ֣וֹר אוֹ־שֶׂ֔ה וּטְבָח֖וֹ א֣וֹ מְכָר֑וֹ חֲמִשָּׁ֣ה בָקָ֗ר יְשַׁלֵּם֙ תַּ֣חַת הַשּׁ֔וֹר וְאַרְבַּע־צֹ֖אן תַּ֥חַת הַשֶּֽׂה׃

Exodus 21:37

(37) When a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox, and four sheep for the sheep.— (Don't steal)

שמות כ״ג:א׳

(א) לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֖א שֵׁ֣מַע שָׁ֑וְא אַל־תָּ֤שֶׁת יָֽדְךָ֙ עִם־רָשָׁ֔ע לִהְיֹ֖ת עֵ֥ד חָמָֽס׃

Exodus 23:1

(1) You must not carry false rumors; you shall not join hands with the guilty to act as a malicious witness: (Don't bear false witness against your neighbor)

שמות כ״א:כ״ח

e(כח) וְכִֽי־יִגַּ֨ח שׁ֥וֹר אֶת־אִ֛ישׁ א֥וֹ אֶת־אִשָּׁ֖ה וָמֵ֑ת סָק֨וֹל יִסָּקֵ֜ל הַשּׁ֗וֹר וְלֹ֤א יֵאָכֵל֙ אֶת־בְּשָׂר֔וֹ וּבַ֥עַל הַשּׁ֖וֹר נָקִֽי׃

Exodus 21:28

(28) When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox is not to be punished. (Don't covet your neighbor's house, wife, slaves, ass, ox, or anything that is theirs)

שמות כ״ב:כ׳

(כ) וְגֵ֥ר לֹא־תוֹנֶ֖ה וְלֹ֣א תִלְחָצֶ֑נּוּ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃

Exodus 22:20

(20) You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

שמות כ״ג:ט׳

(ט) וְגֵ֖ר לֹ֣א תִלְחָ֑ץ וְאַתֶּ֗ם יְדַעְתֶּם֙ אֶת־נֶ֣פֶשׁ הַגֵּ֔ר כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃

Exodus 23:9

(9) You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.

שמות כ״ג:י״ד-ט״ז

(יד) שָׁלֹ֣שׁ רְגָלִ֔ים תָּחֹ֥ג לִ֖י בַּשָּׁנָֽה׃ (טו) אֶת־חַ֣ג הַמַּצּוֹת֮ תִּשְׁמֹר֒ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִים֩ תֹּאכַ֨ל מַצּ֜וֹת כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוִּיתִ֗ךָ לְמוֹעֵד֙ חֹ֣דֶשׁ הָֽאָבִ֔יב כִּי־ב֖וֹ יָצָ֣אתָ מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם וְלֹא־יֵרָא֥וּ פָנַ֖י רֵיקָֽם׃ (טז) וְחַ֤ג הַקָּצִיר֙ בִּכּוּרֵ֣י מַעֲשֶׂ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תִּזְרַ֖ע בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה וְחַ֤ג הָֽאָסִף֙ בְּצֵ֣את הַשָּׁנָ֔ה בְּאׇסְפְּךָ֥ אֶֽת־מַעֲשֶׂ֖יךָ מִן־הַשָּׂדֶֽה׃

Exodus 23:14-16

(14) Three times a year you shall hold a festival for Me: (15) You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread—eating unleavened bread for seven days as I have commanded you—at the set time in the month of Abib, for in it you went forth from Egypt; and none shall appear before Me empty-handed; (16) and the Feast of the Harvest, of the first fruits of your work, of what you sow in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in the results of your work from the field.

Rabbi Anita Silvert

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