Mishpatim 5648 תרמ”ח
ואלה המשפטים כו’ מוסיף על ענין ראשון. כי הדברות הם דברים שבין אדם למקום. ומשפטים שבין אדם לחבירו. ונסמכו לומר כי זוכין לתורה ע”י השלום שנעשין בני ישראל אחדות אחד. כמ”ש רז”ל ואהבת לרעך זה כלל גדול בתורה. דכ’ ה’ עוז לעמו יתן והיא התורה. ה’ יברך את עמו בשלום הוא באר התורה שבע”פ שעלי’ מברכין וחיי עולם נטע בתוכינו. וזה הבאר נפתח ע”י השלום שנעשה ע”י המשפטים האלה. כמ”ש במד’ אתה כוננת מישרים שע”י המשפטים נעשין אוהבין זה לזה. וצריך האדם לתקן עצמו בדברים שבינו למקום לזכות לתורה שבכתב. ולתקן שבינו לחבירו לזכות לתורה שבע”פ. ולא עוד אלא שזו מדריגה יתירה דכ’ מגיד דבריו כו’ חקיו ומשפטיו לישראל. וידוע דשם ישראל למעלה משם יעקב. לומר שהוא זכות גדול כשזוכין לתקן שבין אדם לחבירו והוא הישרות שנק’ ישר אל. כי האלקים עשה את האדם ישר כו’. ואחר החטא שנעשו חשבונות רבים צריכין לתקן וליישר העקמימות והקנאה והשנאה. וזוכין לזה ע”י המשפטים. ולכן כתיב אשר תשים לפניהם מלשון ושמו את שמי כמ”ש דתסדר קדמיהון. שזה המעין שיש בבני ישראל. צריכין להוציאו מכח אל הפועל לברר האמת מתוך השקר. ובבחי’ זו כתיב ישרים דרכי ה’ צדיקים ילכו בם. וזה לפניהם:
https://www.sefaria.org/Sefat_Emet,_Exodus,_Mishpatim_16.2
Rashi explains that the reason why the parsha begins with a seemingly superfluous letter ‘vav’ is to add the parsha of Mishpatim discussing the laws between man and his fellow man, to those of ten commandments, which are laws of man to Hashem, to teach us that it is through the harmony of Bnei Yisrael being united and together in peace that we merit to receive the Torah. This idea is explained by our Rabbi Akiva, who said ‘You shall love your fellow man like yourself’, is the great principle of the Torah. ‘Hashem gives strength to His nation’ – is referring to the Torah. The continuation ‘Hashem blesses His nation with Shalom, refers to the wellspring of Torah. This is referring to the oral Torah which is opened up through Shalom, by fulfilling these laws of mishpatim between man and his fellow. As the Midrash explains that it is through these Mishpatim that one develops a love for his fellow man. Therefore a person needs to better his relationship with Hashem to merit to the written Torah and repair his relationship with his fellow man to merit to the Oral Torah. Furthermore, the bettering of one’s relationship with others is an even higher level, as can be understood from the pasuk ‘He tells His words to Yaakov, his laws and statutes (Mishpatim) to Yisrael. The name Yisrael is a higher level than that of Yaakov; therefore, it is a great merit to improve one’s relationships with others. This concept can be understood from the word Yisrael which can be broken up into the words Yashar kel, Hashem is straight. Man was originally created ‘Yashar’ – straight; however, they had many calculations (Kohelet 7:29), this means that after the sin, there became crookedness and jealousy and hatred. However, it is through the Mishpatim, the laws between man and his fellow, that we are able to straighten out this crookedness. This is the idea of ‘You shall place תשים before them’, which is connected to the idea of ‘you shall place My name’, which is the idea of this wellspring of Torah that is in Bnei Yisrael, and we need to bring it out from the state of energy into reality, and clarify the truth from the falsehoods. It is regarding this idea that it states ‘the ways of Hashem are just, the righteous shall go through them’, that by fulfilling the mitzvot of man and his fellow, that we are able to properly bring out this latent power. This is therefore the deeper meaning of the word ‘before them’, teaching us that it must be brought out into reality.
Summary
The two elements of mitzvos between man and Hashem and man to his fellow man are interconnected. The mitzvos of man to Hashem allow a person to gain a better understanding of the written Torah. Yet an even deeper level is that between man and his fellow man. By having good relationships through the fulfillment of the mitzvot of Mishpatim, these laws that govern the relationships, we are able to bring out the latent power of the oral Torah that is embedded inside each of us, out to the world.
