Rabbi Joshua Kullock
A man, his horse and his dog were walking down the road. When they were passing under a huge tree, a bolt of lightning struck the three of them and they were killed. But the man didn’t realize he had left this world, and continued walking with his two animals.
The road was very long, uphill; the sun was strong, and they were sweaty and thirsty.
Around a bend in the road they saw a wonderful doorway, made entirely of marble, which led to a square paved with gold cobblestones, and in the middle, a fountain from which crystal clear water flowed.
The traveler addressed the man guarding the gate: “What’s the name of this beautiful place?”, he asked. “This is HEAVEN.” “How lucky we are for having arrived at HEAVEN, because we are thirsty.”
“You can go in and drink as much water as you want,” and the guardian pointed to the fountain.
“But my horse and my dog are thirsty too…”
“I’m sorry…”, replied the man. “Animals are not allowed in here.”
The man stood up in disgust, since he was really thirsty, but he wasn’t about to drink alone; he thanked the guardian and kept on walking.
After walking uphill a long time, exhausted, they came to another place, where the entrance was marked with a tiny old door which led to a dirt path surrounded by trees.
A man was lying in the shade of one of these trees, with his head covered by a hat, seemingly asleep. “Good morning”, said the traveler. The man just nodded. “We are very thirsty, my horse, my dog, and I”, said the thirsty man.
“There’s a spring among those rocks”, said the man, pointing at the place. “You can drink as much as you want.”
The man, the horse and the dog went to the spring and quenched their thirst. The traveler came back to thank the man. “You can come back whenever you want,” he replied.
“By the way… what’s the name of this place?
“This is HEAVEN,” replied the man.
“HEAVEN? That cannot be! The guardian at the marble gate told me that that was HEAVEN!”
“That was not HEAVEN, that was Hell.”
The man was puzzled. “You should prohibit the use of your name! Such false information must cause a lot of confusion!”
“Not at all! Actually, they do us a great favor, because people who are capable of sacrificing their fellow men stay there.”
This week’s parashah is full of precepts. There is almost no story in it, but to the contrary, most of its content is devoted to the transmission of rules and more rules. After the spirituality of the parashah we read last week, and the impressive scenery of Mount Sinai at the time of the giving of the Ten Commandments, Parashat Mishpatim distinguishes itself by portraying almost dryly the force of the law.
And this law is specifically linked to those regulations that have to do with the relationships between men. Ve'eleh hamishpatim asher tasim lifneihem… “Now these are the judgments which you shall set before them” (Exodus 21:1). Ve’eleh, “Now these”, stating that what we read here and what we read last week both happened at Sinai. Asher tasim lifneihem, “which you shall set before them,” for as Rabbi Ephraim Lunshitz said: Man ought to be especially heedful of his behavior towards his fellow men, so as to learn how to behave towards God.
How often do we encounter confused people, who think that Judaism is a pile of rituals?
How often do we encounter mistaken people, who believe that God’s service should always be first and foremost, and who lack any consideration when humiliating those who they presume wrong?
As the story goes, we often encounter people who, for a drink of water, are capable of sacrificing their fellow men.
To all those people, and to us all, this week’s parashah tells us: don’t forget that to be a good Jew, you must first be a good ben Adam; to be a good Jew, it is essential that you be a good person.
Because Jews are not those who hide behind the rituals, but those who can channel their Judaism, through their particular identity, in such a way that the society wherein they live transforms itself, day by day, into a much better society.
Because Jews are not those who devote themselves only to God, but rather those who acknowledge in the eyes of others the divine call to not abandon the widow, the orphan or the helpless.
Because Jews are not those who escape to heaven, but those who know how to bring the celestial into this world, working on this, our earth, towards the construction of the kingdom of heaven.
Countless times we are tempted to go on our way, sacrificing those who were once useful or necessary to us. This week, our parashah warns us that seeing our fellow men as pawns that can be sacrificed is a terrible offense, not only to the person involved, but to God as well.
May we then learn our lesson, and draw from it the conclusions we ought to.
Shabbat Shalom u’Meborah!
