Parshat Mishpatim: Do's and Dont's
by Rabbi Lobel

And these are the judgments (laws) that you should place before them (Israel). Rashi (1040 - 1105) comments that, after giving the Torah to the Jewish nation, G-d commanded Moses to explain its laws. As recorded in the Mechillta, G-d tells Moses, “It should not occur to you to say, 'I (Moses) shall teach them the chapter and law two or three times until they have memorized it, but I shall not trouble myself to make them understand the reasons of the matter and its explanation.’ ” (Exodus 21:1)

Rashi continues, why does the Torah say “place before them”? Because the Torah should be presented like a table that is set and ready for dining.

Rebbe Akiva concludes (Talmud: Eruvin 54 – Rashi on the Talmud), all Torah teachers have the obligation to teach in the fashion where the student gains proper understanding and explanation of his responsibilities. From Rashi and the Talmud, we see that the only way a person can properly fulfill the Torah is to understand what he is doing.

Torah cannot be taken as a rule book with the do's and don'ts of life. If understood as just a rule book it will feel like a burden and seem very irrelevant. It is only through the proper channels of learning and understanding does one begin to appreciate the responsibilities the Torah has set for him.