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Parshas Mishpatim -- 23 Shevat, 5771 / January 28, 2011 -- Vol. 2, Issue 8

When I shop at Home Depot, I know I have two choices: one, walk around aimlessly for 20 minutes pretending I know what I’m doing by perusing the aisles and making as if I’m looking for something specific; or two, search for a person in an orange apron and explain to them what I need and admit that I have no idea as to how I’m going to do it.

On a recent trip to Home Depot, I decided to go with the latter decision as I was pressed for time and wanted to achieve my mission as fast as possible.  Why was I going to Home Depot you may ask?  My daughter, Bayla, recently mastered the art of crawling, which has changed everything.  Items are now kept higher off the ground, the carpet needs to be vacuumed more regularly, and bookcases must be bolted to the wall.  Though I had an idea of how to secure a bookcase, I needed some direction in the finer points of such an endeavor. 

Now, on the one hand, one might ask, why should I have to bolt the bookcase to the wall?  Shouldn’t Bayla realize that it’s not a good idea to pull on the bookcase? Here, of course, the answer is obvious!  Bayla is 9 months old, and as her father it is my job to make sure that she is safe and that our house is a secure place for her to explore.  We can learn a deeper meaning to this everyday occurrence from this week’s parsha, which discusses the laws regarding an unpaid watchman and a paid watchman.  Why is it necessary to have laws regarding this principle in life?  Why not have each person be solely responsible for themselves?

There was once a chicken and a cow walking down the road when they came to a crossroads with a breakfast special on a billboard.  It read, “Steak and eggs, $2.99!”  The chicken said to the cow, “Wow can you believe it?  We’ve finally made it to the big time.”  To which the cow replied, “How can you possibly compare yourself to me?  For you, it’s a donation.  For me, it’s a total commitment!”

The Torah doesn’t dictate other people’s responsibilities as they pertain to us, rather it tells us our responsibilities as they relate to other people.  Hashem is teaching us to approach each situation with an emphasis on helping others.  We should not think that we live in a world in which we don’t have to watch over each other, rather an integral part of Judaism is recognizing that each of us as an individual are part of the greater whole.  It is only through our commitment to unity that we can fulfill our goal of ultimate redemption and the coming of Moshiach!

Parshas Mishpatim: Recharging Your Battery

Technology has come a  long way over the last few years.   I remember when I bought my first cell phone in the ‘90s.   Believe it or not, all it did was make phone calls.   Moreover, it was the size of a regular portable phone, only had 5 preset  ring tones, didn't come with a car charger, and on top of that, I paid $150.00  for it.  Interestingly enough, I  recently saw an ad for the Jitterbug phone by Samsung.  Their unique way of marketing this phone: it's for the truly simple at  heart, it only makes phone calls! 
 
These days, you can  buy a phone that is more of a home entertainment centre than a way of letting  your wife know that you're going to be late for dinner.   By today’s industry standards, any phone that isn’t equipped with a  camera, video camera, mp3 player, wireless internet connection, daily organizer,  several games, and free international texting, isn't really worth looking at and  probably won't be considered by the large majority of cell phone users.  Buy a phone today?   Why that's crazy!  Just sign  up for a 2 year contract and you can get any number of phones such as the  iPhone, Blackberry, Google Android, or other smart phone for free or at least at  a fraction of the original cost.    
  
Most of us have  experienced the following scenario.   You rush out of the house to start your day, which is packed from morning  to evening.  Later on at work you  take a  break and decide to make a  quick call to your friend when you hear that dreadful sound; beep… beep… beep… beep!  Then you realize one very
important task that you forgot to do the night before when you were reviewing  your 'to do' list: charge your cell phone.   You see, there is one  factor in cell phone advancement that has remained steadfast, regardless of the  ever evolving technology.  If you  want to use your cell phone, it has to be  charged!
 
The Jewish people are  very similar to cell phones.  In  this week's parsha, Mishpatim, B'nei Yisrael receive several commandments from  G-d, one of which is to keep the Shabbos.   Moshe tells the Jewish people, "Six days you shall accomplish your  activities, and on the seventh day you shall desist..." (Mishpatim 23:12). Of course a person needs to work during  the week, as earning a livelihood, making advancements in their field, and/or  using their skills to help others are important aspects of life.  However, what gives a person the energy and strength to work those days  is keeping the Shabbos.  As the  saying goes, the Jews keep the Shabbos, and the Shabbos keeps the Jews.  Shabbos is what allows us to take a  step back and be refreshed. 
 
The Chumash relates  in parshas Ki Sisa regarding the Shabbos, "Between Me and the children of Israel  it is a sign forever that in a six-day period Hashem made heaven and earth, and  on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed" (31:17).  The commentator Sforno explains that the word for refreshed,  "vayinafash," relates to the word "nefesh" (soul), meaning that Shabbos was  endowed with an extra element of spirituality to help the Jewish people  actualize their potential for the goal which Hashem created man in His  image.  
  
Our task in this  world is to learn Torah and do mitzvahs.   This of course takes a great deal of hard work; intellectually,  emotionally, spiritually, and physically. 
Therefore we need a way to keep ourselves energized and focused. How is  this accomplished?     How  do we plug ourselves in and get recharged?  Unlike the cell  phone, you'll find that there are numerous ways to plug in and revitalize. You can go to shul, help your neighbour,  learn Chumash or other Torah books, or do a mitzvah.   However, Hashem has given us the privilege of keeping Shabbos as a means  to charge our batteries on a weekly basis.  Best of all, unlike charging your cell  phone, plugging into Shabbos won’t violate any laws!     

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