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Why does the Torah (תורה) begin its mishpatim with the laws of the eved Ivri, a law not yet applicable in the desert? The shiur develops a profound yesod: a ganav is fundamentally an eved—someone who rejects responsibility for himself, even for basic livelihood. The six-year servitude aims to restore his sense of responsibility and tzuras adam, making eved Ivri the perfect introduction to mishpatim, which are all about growth through accepting responsibility.
Rabbi Zweig opens by asking why the laws of mishpatim begin with eved Ivri, which was not practically relevant in the wilderness and requires Eretz Yisrael and the Yovel system. Moreover, the language is puzzling: "Ki sikneh eved Ivri"—you cannot buy an eved Ivri, only a Jew who becomes an eved through sale. The pasuk says "shesh shanim ya'avod uba'shevi'is yetzei lachofshi"—but if you only bought him for six years, why does the Torah (תורה) say he "goes out free" on the seventh? The period simply ends. These linguistic anomalies point to a deeper conceptual framework. The shiur's central insight emerges from a fundamental question about Yetzias Mitzrayim: What did Klal Yisrael gain by leaving Egypt? In Mitzrayim they were avadim to Pharaoh; after leaving they became avadim to Hashem (ה׳). Being an eved to Hashem is actually far more demanding—there is not a spare second, with constant mitzvos and no real days off, whereas Pharaoh's slavery, before the intensification, allowed for time off and a relatively comfortable existence (Moshe even instituted Shabbos (שבת)). So what were we celebrating?
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Parshas Mishpatim, Shemos 21:2-6
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