In my email Nations
Will Guard the Way of Yahweh With Abraham’s Sons I discussed Genesis 18:19:
For I have noticed and observed him,
in order that he may instruct his children and his house after him,
that they guard the way of Yahweh,
to do TZEDAQAH and MISHPAT;
in order that Yahweh may bring upon Abraham
that which He has spoken concerning him.”
God chose Abraham because
of, and because he will, do this.
Abraham will teach his children how to guard the way of Yahweh
by doing acts of TZEDAQAH and MISHPAT
(justice).
That is the first time
the word MISHPAT (justice) appears in the Bible. From
this point on, TZEDAQAH and MISHPAT will appear
together many times. The “Way of God” requires learning and doing
both TZEDAQAH and MISHPAT, not just one. The
prophet Jeremiah delivers a very similar message (9:23-24):
Thus says Yahweh:
“Do not let
the wise man boast in his wisdom,
Do not let not the mighty man boast
in his might,
Do not let the rich man boast in his
riches;
But let him
who boast boast in this,
That he
understands and knows Me,
That I am Yahweh doing
CHESED, MISHPAT, TZEDAQAH in the earth.
For in these I take pleasure in,”
says Yahweh.
MISHPAT is one
of the three core values in the Jewish Scriptures. Doing
acts of MISHPAT is one of the ways humans imitate God and
reveal His image to the world.
MISHPAT is a very
ancient word, and it is one of those Hebrew words that using one English word
to translate it doesn’t accurately reveal its meaning. Two English words,
however, lay the foundation for understanding it – judge and
govern. MISHPAT is used to describe “a justly
ordered society,” which is also one of the foundational values of
Judaism. The prophets railed against the absence of MISHPAT in
the days of kings who abused their power.[1]
The
rabbis repeatedly extol the society whose courts insist on justice
and whose officials enforce justice to protect human rights.
Imperfect justice was preferred to no justice at all. Jews were exhorted
to accept the overly harsh laws of the Romans rather than to live under a
government without laws.
And you have made men
as the fishes of the sea,
as the creeping things
that have no ruler over them.
(Habakkuk 1:14)
Why were people
compared to the fishes of the sea?
Because in the case of
the fishes of the sea,
the larger one swallows
the smaller one;
so, too, in the case of
men:
were it not for the
fear of government,
the stronger would
swallow the weaker.
(Avodah Zarah 46)
When
a judge renders a decision in accordance with the law of the Torah he is imitating
one of God’s attributes -- God is just. Therefore, the
judge should not waver in his execution of justice, especially when two
litigants come before him.
An act of mercy to one
party may be an act of injustice to the other.
Those
who come before the judge are expected to imitate the other attribute of God — His
mercy. People are required to go beyond the line of strict
justice and to live in accordance with those greater ideals that
the court cannot enforce – CHESED and TZEDAQAH.
In his relations with
his fellow man,
a person should be
guided by compassion and trust
rather than by the
literalness of justice.
Exodus 21:1-24:8 is called “Mishpatim” and it lays down basic civil law, including rules of
damages, torts and ethical obligations to help the needy, and includes
agricultural laws and rules about festivals. It represents the
transition from the Tribes of Israel into the Nation
of Israel in the Jewish Scriptures.
Today,
mishpat is the modern
Hebrew word for law. A mishpatan is a lawyer. The Israeli civil courts are called batei mishpat lshalom – “courts for making peace between people.” Mishpat Ivri is the name for those areas of traditional Jewish law
that can be applied to the areas usually covered by secular legal systems. Mishpat Ivri has standing in Israeli courts today.[2]
CHESED, TZEDAQAH
and MISPHAT are the pillars of the message and movement of the
Jewish Jesus. They are primary belief models and core values of our Biblical
Heritages. I will discuss CHESED in the next email.
Choosing
Lives 1st by Doing TOV,
Jim
Myers
Helping People Examine Their Beliefs
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[2] The Language of Judaism by Simon Glustrom © 1988; Jason Aronson, Inc. Northvale, NJ; p. 399.
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