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Why does the Torah (תורה) juxtapose the law against building steps to the altar with the opening laws of Mishpatim concerning judges? The shiur argues that taking large steps creates awareness of one's physicality, which compromises spiritual focus. Similarly, a judge must avoid self-awareness and personal agenda—including taking bribes "for fairness"—because self-focus blinds him to truth and objectivity.
Rabbi Zweig opens with the classical question of juxtaposition: why does Parshas Mishpatim, which begins with laws requiring Jewish courts, follow immediately after the law forbidding steps on the altar (so "your nakedness not be uncovered")? Rashi (רש"י) explains that although the Kohen wore pants under his tunic, taking wide steps is "close to exposing nakedness." The halacha (הלכה) therefore requires a ramp, not steps, and mandates that the Kohen walk with small steps—heel of the forward foot not extending beyond the toe of the rear foot. The Midrash connects this to the opening of Mishpatim: judges must not take "big steps" in judgment. Commentators typically explain this as a call for deliberation and care. Rabbi Zweig challenges this reading: the expression "big steps" (pesi'ah gasah) does not naturally refer to speed or deliberation; it refers to the size and nature of the step itself. The word "gasah" means crude or coarse, not merely large.
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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.
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Parshas Mishpatim (Shemos 21:1) and end of Yisro (Shemos 20:23)
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