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Why does the Torah (תורה) command lending money using the conditional word "im" (if) when lending is actually obligatory? The shiur reveals that "im" teaches the proper manner: you must lend money as if you want to, making the recipient feel cared for rather than burdened. This insight unlocks the difference between the two accounts of Matan Torah—Yisro establishes our servitude to Hashem (ה׳), while Mishpatim creates a bris that grants us rights and demands sensitivity in all interpersonal mitzvos.
The shiur opens by addressing a fundamental question: why do Parshas Yisro and Parshas Mishpatim present what appear to be two completely different versions of Kabbalas HaTorah? In Yisro, the atmosphere is one of awe and trembling, with the shofar blast and overwhelming divine presence. In Mishpatim, we find numerous details absent from Yisro—Moshe writing the Torah (תורה) from Bereishis through Matan Torah, building an altar, bringing sacrifices, sprinkling blood, and people eating and drinking in celebration. According to most Rishonim, both accounts describe the same time period, yet they seem irreconcilably different. The resolution to this apparent contradiction provides the framework for understanding a revolutionary principle in bein adam l'chavero. Rabbi Zweig turns to an apparently unrelated textual difficulty in Parshas Mishpatim. The pasuk states: "Im kesef talveh es ami es he'oni imach lo sihyeh lo k'nosheh, lo sasimun alav neshech" (Shemos 22:24). The verse commands: when you lend money to My people, the poor person with you, do not be to him like a creditor, do not place interest upon him. The logical structure is problematic—the Torah should first mention not charging interest (which applies at the moment of the loan), then mention not aggressively collecting (which applies when payment is due). Instead, the verse goes: lend money, don't aggressively collect, and then don't charge interest—moving backward chronologically to the moment of lending.
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Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Shemos 22:24 (Parshas Mishpatim)
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