Laws and Judgments as a “Bridge to a Better World”
Laws and Judgments as a “Bridge to a Better World”
Parashat Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1–24:18)
This chapter contrasts two passages in Parashat Mishpatim of Exodus, with a passage in Leviticus asserting that “if a man lies with a male as one lies with a woman, the two of them have done an abhorrent thing. They shall be put to death.” In particular, Exodus 22:20 states, “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” while, Exodus 23:9, proclaims, “You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of a stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.” The two passages not only contradict the Levitical text, but more importantly they offer a just Jewish teaching.
Keywords: Parashat Mishpatim, Leviticus, Exodus, Jewish teaching, Torah
NYU Press Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
