Ohr HaChaim Yomi: Yitzhak Levi’s weekly question and answer on Parashat Mishpatim, drawing on the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar.
Question
You digested Parashat Mishpatim and think:
Pay workers on time. Don’t steal. Don’t hurt people. Be responsible for damage you cause.
And you say to yourself: “Okay… this is just common sense.”
Which immediately raises the question:
If it’s so obvious —why does the Torah need an entire parasha for it?
The Answer: Because Common Sense Depends on Where You’re Coming From
Bnei Yisrael didn’t grow up in a neutral place.
They just walked out of Egypt —one of the most corrupt, immoral, and unstable societies imaginable.
Laws existed — but they changed.
Justice existed — but only for the powerful.
Right and wrong existed — until someone important disagreed.
And then it changed again.
That’s not a society. That’s chaos with good architecture.
Reality Check
Let’s be honest.
When laws depend on who’s in charge, and (many false) gods disagree with each other,
nothing is actually wrong — just inconvenient.
One god says this. Another god says that. Pharaoh says something else.
So what do people learn? Do whatever you can get away with.
Why Mishpatim Comes Right Now
The Jews are just becoming a people.
Before land. Before kings. Before armies.
And Hashem says: “First, let’s get basic decency straight.”
Not inspiration. Not miracles. Rules.
Clear. Consistent. Non-negotiable.
Because you cannot build a holy nation on flexible morality.
This Is Why These Laws Matter So Much
Mishpatim is about being reliable.
If someone lends money — there are rules.
If someone causes damage — there are rules.
If someone is vulnerable — there are rules.
Not suggestions. Not vibes. Rules.
And that’s exactly what Egypt didn’t have.
Modern Application: “Everyone Has Their Truth”
We hear this all the time.
“My truth.” “Your truth.” “Different perspectives.”
Mishpatim gently says: That’s nice.
But societies don’t survive on opinions. They survive on shared standards. When right and wrong keep changing, people stop trusting each other.
And once trust is gone — everything else follows.
Final Thought
Mishpatim may sound like common sense. But common sense only works when it’s anchored in something unchanging. The Jews didn’t leave Egypt just to be free.
They left Egypt to live by laws that don’t bend, don’t shift, and don’t depend on who’s in power. Because freedom without structure is just another form of slavery. And Mishpatim is where that freedom finally gets legs.