A favorite saying of one of my dearest friends is: "What about love? What about that?!" Yes, what about that?

The bulk of the body of law in the parsha Mishpatim concerns dealings between people. At the end of some sections there are portions of laws dealing with our obligations to Hashem; that positioning lets us know that getting these human dealings right comes first, and that our relationship with each other is inseparably connected to our relationship with Hashem.

If we’re aware, everyday life can be as great a spiritual school as any yeshiva--maybe greater. In this parsha are detailed laws concerning our treatment of the other. However, one of our great sages, Hillel, simplified it by saying: "Never do to someone else what you find distasteful to yourself." It’s a simple rule of thumb iterated by the Torah: "Love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lrd."--Vayikra 19:18

If we take this to heart, we can pray to come to the place of seeing every Jew, every human being, as a very real part of ourselves. Each person’s life, just as each cell in our own body, is important to ourselves. Any harm we may do to the other, we are, in fact, doing to ourselves. We’re so connected, we need each other so much, that we thank Hashem that this precious person--any person we’re looking at that moment-- is alive in the world with us.

Sometimes this isn’t easy. Sometimes there are people that are difficult. But if we’re living in a real, Gd-conscious way, we can see that every person is in our lives for a reason. We can look at the other and see ourselves mirrored there. Maybe we don’t like what we see. Maybe it’s a challenge to look inside ourselves and ask Hashem to help us change that very thing in ourselves. Or maybe it’s a challenge for us to find a place within ourselves to act in the very spirit of the Torah, as we obey the mitzvot, and rise to a higher level. This can be very painful, but maybe this challenge is a very special, sweet blessing from heaven.

Included in these laws are instructions concerning our behavior toward people we consider our enemies. To them, as well, we are told to act in a fair manner, for these are still our neighbors. There is a story about a young man in a poor urban area who shot and killed another teenaged boy in order to prove himself worthy to join a local gang. After the guilty verdict at the trial, the slain boy’s mother went up to her son’s killer and said: "I’m going to kill you." A while later she showed up at the juvenile home with money for him. She started visiting him on a regular basis; she was one of very few visitors. When he was getting out of jail, she offered to help him get a job and let him stay in a room in her house. One day she asked him if he remembered what she had said to him on the day of the trial. Of course, he did; he would never forget that moment. She said to him: "Well, I did kill that boy that murdered my son, because now, he doesn’t exist anymore." She offered to let this very changed young man stay in her house permanently as her adopted son. Kindness and love changes not only the receiver, but also the giver.

Within the body of laws we’re instructed on our relationship with our parents. Ideally we learn about relating to Hashem in the way we relate to our parents--especially fathers. Fathers should be aware that they have one of the most excellent roles through which Hashem can pour out His love in the world. Hearing a parent say: "I love you so much," a child (of any age) can feel Hashem’s own arms’ embrace. Children in loving homes learn very early of Hashem’s love. And even after they’re grown, they have the advantage of a deep, heart-felt knowing of Hashem in this way. These people will be less inclined to fear, and more toward faith. Hashem knew this when He stressed the importance of honoring one’s parents. The home is the foundation, the greatest school in life.

Even so is the marriage relationship. Throughout the Tanach we see this metaphor. The first thing is fairness, as seen detailed in Mishpatim. Ideally, each will treat the other with respect and love, growing spiritually as individuals and as a couple. Just as in the parent-child relationship, marriage is a vessel through which Hashem’s love can flow into the world. Potential healing can begin between two people and pour out to those around. A husband, stepping into the symbolic role of Hashem to Israel, spiritually covers his wife with his "wings" of tender loving care and raises her up to a higher level. By consciously including Hashem as a third partner, there is an outpouring of blessing back and forth. And this becomes a light for the whole world.

As we become increasingly aware that our actions effect more than just ourselves and those immediately involved, we come closer to Hashem and more "Gd-conscious", the "holy nation" Israel is commanded to be (Shmot 19:6). Holy attachment to Hashem through the mitzvot brings blessing and healing into the world. Moshe’s throwing a tree into the bitter waters at Marah sweetened them, showing us that Hashem has a cure for the bitterness of all our ailments. Immediately following that incident, He promises that adherence to His statutes and commands will bring with it a healing, as He states: "I am the Lrd that healeth them." (Shmot 15:26) Again, in Mishpatim (Shmot 23:25), He promises: "And you shall serve the Lrd your Gd, and He will bless your bread, and your water; and I will take sickness away from your midst." This blessing can also flow to the world. The haphtorah, Yeremiyahu 34:8-22 shows how the disobedience of the laws of fair treatment between people brought about the fall into exile. Just as this is true, obedient consciousness of these laws can bring about redemption from exile and ultimately Redemption for all Mankind.

May we all come to the place in which our relationships with each other are blessings, not just for ourselves, but for the entire world. And through this may we quickly see the Redemption.

Shabbat shalom,
Miriam