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Why are there two parallel accounts of Sinai—Yisro and Mishpatim—with such different moods? Parshas Yisro represents our commitment to God (tov lashamayim), while Parshas Mishpatim establishes our obligation to each other (tov labriyos). The social justice laws are not merely prohibitions from God; they are mishpatim—rights we owe each other, creating an organic unity that gives God's kingship its true power.
The shiur addresses a fundamental question: why does the Torah (תורה) present two seemingly parallel accounts of the revelation at Sinai—one in Parshas Yisro and one in Parshas Mishpatim? According to Rashi (רש"י), these are concurrent views of the same events on the same days, yet they differ dramatically in tone and content. Parshas Yisro conveys fear and awe ("vayecherad kol ha'am"), while Parshas Mishpatim describes the people eating, drinking, and celebrating after seeing God. Critical details appear in one account but not the other: the mizbeach, the sacrifices, the sprinkling of blood, and the reading of the Sefer HaBris are all mentioned only in Mishpatim, not in Yisro. The shiur proposes that these two parshas represent two distinct dimensions of Kabbalas HaTorah. Parshas Yisro embodies our covenant with God—accepting His kingship and committing to observe His laws as a unified nation ("kol asher diber Hashem (ה׳) na'aseh"). This is the dimension of tov lashamayim. Parshas Mishpatim, by contrast, establishes our covenant with each other—our mutual obligations as members of Klal Yisrael. This is the dimension of tov labriyos. The Midrash's statement "ma eilu miSinai af eilu miSinai"—just as the laws of Yisro are from Sinai, so too the laws of Mishpatim—emphasizes that both dimensions are equally fundamental to the Sinai revelation.
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Parshas Mishpatim
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