Commentary on Parashat Mishpatim, Exodus 21:1 - 24:18
Questions
1. How many years was a Hebrew slave (servant) required to serve and when did he go free?
2. If the slave did not want to go free, what were the two things the master was to do?
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3. What was the penalty for a man who hit or cursed either his mother or father?
4. If two men got into a fight, and one was hurt to the extent that he had to be put to bed, but recovered later, what was the penalty for the one who hurt him?
5. If a man hit his bondsman or bondswoman and the result was a lost tooth or eye, what was the penalty?
6. If an ox gored a person to death, what was the penalty for the owner? What if the owner had been warned that the ox had gored in the past and the owner had let the ox loose?
7. Was there any circumstance in the above second scenario that the owner would be spared?
8. If a man stole an ox or a sheep, killed it, or sold it, what did he have to pay (if he was caught)?
9. What was the penalty for a person who stole an ox, an ass, or a sheep, and was caught with it alive?
10. If a person afflicted a widow or fatherless child, and the afflicted one cried out to God, what would God do to the persecutor?
11. If you lend someone money, and take their garment as a pledge, by when must the garment be returned and why?
12. What does God mean when He says you shall not utter a false report?
Answers
1. A Hebrew slave would serve for six years and in the seventh year he would be freed (2:2).
2. He was to bring the slave to God and also take him to the door, or door post, and bore his ear through with an awl (21:6).
3. A man who hit or cursed his mother or father would be put to death (21:15.17—which verse is it?).
4. He had to pay the other’s doctor bills and for the loss of his pay while not working (21:18-19).
5. He must let them go free (21:26-27).
6. In the first case, the ox is killed and the owner is not liable. In the second case, the ox is killed and the owner is put to death (21:28-29,36).
7. If a ransom was put on his life by the tribunal, he could pay the ransom and be spared (21:30).
8. He would have to pay with five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep (21:37).
9. He had to return the stolen animal plus one more like it (22:3).
10. He would kill him with the sword (22:21-23).
11. It must be returned before the sun goes down, because it is his only covering in which to sleep (22:25-26).
12. You must not be an unrighteous witness, perverting justice (23:1).
Provided by the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.
Torah
Pronunced: TORE-uh, Origin: Hebrew, the Five Books of Moses.
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