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Why does Rashi (רש"י) insist Moshe must teach the reasons for the mishpatim, not just the laws themselves? The shiur develops a yesod from the phrase "shulchan aruch"—a set table—that mitzvos must be experienced with appetite and anticipation, not mere compliance. Halacha (הלכה) is a menu designed to inspire desire, not an army manual of behavior.
Rabbi Zweig opens with Rashi (רש"י)'s comment on Parshas Mishpatim. Rashi explains that the pasuk "v'eileh hamishpatim asher tasim lifneihem" teaches that Moshe must not merely teach the laws two or three times until Bnei Yisrael can repeat them clearly. Rather, he must explain the reasons behind the mitzvos. The language "tasim lifneihem" means "place before them like a shulchan aruch"—a set table, prepared and ready to eat. The shiur raises a fundamental question: Why would Moshe Rabbeinu think he should not teach the reasons? It's not that teaching is a burden—teaching the halachos themselves is not a tircha. The question is: why invest extra effort to explain the reasons when the people will already know exactly what to do? If a person knows the law clearly and can perform it correctly, what practical gain is there in teaching the reasons? From a purely functional standpoint, teaching reasons takes longer and reduces the breadth of what can be covered. Moshe might have thought it would be more productive to teach more halachos rather than to delve into the reasons for fewer halachos.
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Parshas Mishpatim (Shemos 21:1, Rashi)
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Why didn't Noach daven for his generation while Avrohom advocated for Sedom? Noach viewed each person as an independent island responsible only for their own teshuvah. Avrohom understood that all humanity is interconnected through shared perspective and values, making prayer for others both possible and necessary.
