WHY BEGIN THE MITZVOT WITH THE LAWS OF THE JEWISH SLAVE?

This week's Parsha begins: "And these are the ordinances that you shall place before them, if you buy a Jewish slave, he shall work for six years" (Shmot 21:1). The Torah then proceeds with the myriad laws contained in our Parsha. My father-in-law zt"l used to ask why the Torah commences this long list of Mitzvot with the laws concerning the Jewish slave. Is this the most urgent Mitzvah that needs to be taught? Secondly, the Mitzvah was not destined to apply for several years. The laws of the Jewish slave are only of relevance in the land of Israel and when the laws of the Jubilee year apply. Not only were Bnei Yisrael destined to wander in the desert for another forty years, it would take them seven years to capture the Land from the other nations, and seven more years to divide it up. The Jewish people may not have been aware that these laws would not apply for another fifty four years, but Hashem certainly knew that.

Even more puzzling, as my father-in-law pointed out, is that this was not the first time the people were informed of the laws concerning the Jewish slave. The Yerushalmi comments on the pasuk: "Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aharon and commanded them regarding the Children of Israel and regarding Pharaoh" (Shmot 6:13), that Hashem was telling Moshe and Aharon that just as Pharaoh must free his slaves, so should the Jewish people. The laws of freeing a Jewish slave were already given in Egypt.

One finds a fascinating allusion to this in the Haftarah for Parshat Mishpatim (this week, being Shabbat Shkalim, we read with the special Haftarah for that Parsha instead). The subject of the Haftarah is the freeing of the slaves. The prophet tells Am Yisrael the following: "I sealed a covenant with your forefathers on the day I took them out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves, saying" (Yirmiyahu 34:13). One would have expected the pasuk to be punctuated as follows: "from the land of Egypt from the house of slaves" as one unit without any punctuation mark separating "the land of Egypt" and "from the house of slaves". In other words the house of slaves is then a description of the land of Egypt. The "taam" (cantillation mark) on "meEretz Mitzrayim", however, is a "zakef katon" which is a "taam mafsik" - a mark which denotes pause or separation. This would serve to separate "meEretz Mitzrayim" from what follows. The implication here is that the Jewish people are being taken out of the land of Egypt (pause) and ALSO from the house of slaves. Hashem commanded us regarding freeing slaves not only because we were in Egypt, but also because we were slaves - these are two different reasons. Why was it so urgent to teach them this Mitzvah at this point?

NOTHING BEATS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
My father-in-law explained that this commandment was specifically given while we were still slaves. Only a slave understands the meaning of constant "avodat perech", backbreaking labor. This is the appropriate time to command us regarding the six year limit on owning a Jewish slave. After our exodus, we had already had sufficient time to recover from the bondage in Egypt, so as to longer be able to identify with the slave. Being in the midst of the terrible bondage leaves a greater impression in our hearts. Our MINDS may understand what it is that Hashem wishes, but Hashem wants our HEARTS to understand as well. The heart can understand much better when the slavery is not in the distant past.

Similarly, the Torah commands us later on in our Parsha: "Do not oppress a stranger; you know the feelings of a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Shmot 23:9). The next pasuk states: "six years shall you sow your land and gather in its produce, and in the seventh, you shall leave it untended and unharvested" (ibid. 10-11). Are not the laws of the Sabbatical year spelled out in Parshat Behar, of what relevance are they in this context? Perhaps a look at the continuation of the pasuk can shed some light on this question: "and in the seventh, you shall leave it untended and unharvested, and the destitute of your people shall eat, and the wildlife of the field shall eat what is left" (ibid. 11). In actuality, the halacha states that produce from the Sabbatical year may be eaten by anyone, not only the poor. If so, why did the Torah single out "the destitute of your people" as those who may eat from it and why is this halacha juxtaposed to the law forbidding us from oppressing a stranger?

The answer is that a poor man is used to gathering his food from the fields. One who is not poor, is not used to getting down on the ground to collect his food. During the Sabbatical year, however, every Jew is treated as a poor person, having to scrounge around to collect his daily bread. The Torah here is giving us an insight into the reasons behind the laws of the Sabbatical year. We know what it feels like to be slaves and strangers, for we experienced it ourselves. How are we to know what it means to be poor and destitute? The Mitzvah of Shmitta provides us with a taste of that life. A poor man is totally dependent on what grapes and figs he may find in the field, as he is dependent on others. The Torah wants us to relate to the difficulties of the poor man, it is for this reason that although we all may partake in the food from the Sabbatical year, the Torah focuses on the poor and destitute.

The story is told of HaGaon HaRav Eliyahu Chaim Meizel zt"l the Rav of Lodz. One cold wintry night, he knocked on the door of a very wealthy individual. When the man opened the door to his guest Rav Eliyahu Chaim pushed the door wide open and standing in the open door way he began to converse with the man: how are things? How is your wife? What's new with your children? What is doing in business, etc. With the icy winds penetrating into the house and the rich man's knees knocking together from the bitter cold, R' Eliyahu Chaim continued to stand by the open door engaged in conversation. The man finally gathered up enough nerve to say to his visitor: "why does the Rav not come into the house and I will be glad to answer all his questions?" R' Eliyahu Chaim responded that he was collecting for a fund to provide heat for poor families, and he felt that only when the man would be able to identify with their suffering would he give more generously. So long as he sits in his warm house, he would not be able to feel the bitter cold that the poor have to live with day in and day out, and thus his contribution would be minimal. Perhaps if his body feels the cold, his heart would warm up and thus he would be more generous. His mind may understand the cold conditions these people must be living under, but this is not enough a person's heart must understand as well.

THE HEART AND THE FEELINGS POWER THE ENGINE
What do we mean when we say that man has "bechira chofshit", free choice? It cannot be referring to his intellect, because a person's brain is an angel that tells him what to think. When it comes to a person's feelings, however, there he has free choice. Ideally I should obey all of Hashem's Mitzvot because I love Hashem and I appreciate all that He does for me. The problem is that our decisions if based on intellect alone are not always the right ones, we need our hearts and our feelings to assist our brain in making the right move.

Yaakov Avinu wishes to begin his journey towards Eretz Yisrael. Hashem in fact had told him that the time had come to leave the house of Lavan and to return to Eretz Yisrael. Yaakkov begins by speaking to his wives, our holy mothers Rachel and Leah. He tells them how bad Lavan has been to him, he then tells them that Hashem has instructed him that the time has come to leave. His wives respond by acknowledging that their father Lavan had really not been good to them and agreeing that they should make the journey back to Eretz Yisrael. Why the need to justify their actions, is the fact that Hashem commanded them to leave not sufficient cause for their doing so? Even had Lavan been the greatest angel in the world, if Hashem commands them to leave then surely they must do so. Even people like us should follow Hashem's dictates whether we understand it or not, certainly someone on the level of Yaakov Avinu! The explanation is that the great tzaddik Yaakov and his holy wives wanted to feel stronger about their relationship with Hashem, to feel that not only were they following His command but that it was clearly the right thing to do. It was now necessary to leave the evil Lavan and to return to their holy father Yitzchak. It was not enough to do so because Hashem wanted them to, but they needed to have this strong feeling in their hearts as well.

PERFORMING MITZVOT WHOLEHEARTEDLY
We recite each morning: "these are the precepts whose fruits, a person enjoys in This World but whose principle remains intact for him in the World to Come .... visiting the sick, providing for a bride ... and the study of Torah is equivalent to them all" (Shabbat 127a). What does the Baraita mean when it says that the study of Torah is equivalent to them all? Of course the true payment for Mitzvot is in the Next World, but let us try to understand things in terms that we can relate to. The Mitzvah of visiting the sick does not only include inquiring about his welfare and wishing him a "refuah shlema among the other sick of Israel". Bikur cholim means insuring that he has proper medical care even if that entails having a doctor or nurse on the premises. There are sick people who, G-d forbid, need to be flown to Chutz la'Aretz for an operation.

Fulfilling this Mitzvah can cost hundreds of thousands of shekels. Similarly hachnassat kallah goes beyond dancing at the wedding and eating a piece of meat or chicken. To fulfill this Mitzvah one has to make sure the bride has an apartment, clothing, furniture, a washing machine, dishwasher, clothing and anything else she may need. The expenses here too can amount to hundreds of thousands of shekels. Hashem rewards for performance of a Mitzvah is certainly greater than the expenses incurred. If after all this we declare that "the study of Torah is equivalent to them all" then the reward for each word of Torah we learn is at the very least hundreds of thousands of shekels. Learning Torah is worth even more, because Olam Haba currency is worth not only more than all the shekels in the world but even more than all the dollars in the world! If we truly understood the vast reward awaiting us we would not waste a single moment but would spend any free moment we have learning Torah, for time is money. In fact time is even more than money. Why then are we in need of mussar in order to inspire us to learn? The answer is that our minds may understand, but we need the mussar to inspire our hearts as well. Rav Yisrael Salanter was known to have said that when we learn, it must be not only with our minds but with our hearts to. In addition to understanding what we learn, we must also feel it.

THE REMOVAL OF ACHASHVEROSH'S SIGNET RING AS TRIGGER FOR TSHUVA
Chazal tell us: "the removal of Achashverosh's signet ring was greater than the forty eight prophets and seven prophetesses who prophesied to Israel, for they were all unable to return the Jewish nation to the path of righteousness whereas removal of the signet ring did return the Jewish people to the path of righteousness" (Megilla 14a). All the prophets and prophetesses of Israel could not move them to repent, but when "the king removed his signet ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman" (Esther 3:10) this sparked them to immediate action. Why did the prophets not succeed in moving the nation? Did they not prophesy of terrible calamities awaiting them? Why did these prophecies not spur them to repent? Perhaps the prophecies of the prophets left room for delusions, for fooling themselves into thinking they would never take place. Yirmiyahu, for example, warned the people of the imminent destruction of the Beit Hamikdash. There were, however, false prophets who claimed that this would never happen. People thought - who is right, perhaps the false prophets have a point? When Nebuchadnezzar king of Bavel waged war, there were of course "experts" who pointed out that he was still a great distance from the Beit Hamikdash - he will never get that far. As he got closer and placed a siege around Yerushalayim, they announced: "we've seen this before - Sanherib also placed a siege around Yerushalayim during the days of Yeshayahu and in the end it was he who fell (see Melachim II 19:35-37). With these excuses it is impossible for the words of any prophet to awaken the people. They rationalized that perhaps the false prophets were right - "the kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the world's inhabitants, that the adversary or enemy could enter the gates of Yerushalayim" (Eicha 4:12). There was no limit to ways in which they could convince themselves that the Beit Hamikdash would never be destroyed.

In Shushan, however, within a very short time the Jewish people were faced with a grave and threatening danger. They awoke one morning and went to Shacharit, only to suddenly find out what was awaiting all the Jews in the one hundred and twenty seven countries under Achashverosh's sovereignty. There was no time for excuses - the sudden jolt, the shock, that destruction awaited them in a mere eleven months shook them to their very foundations. Had events developed slowly, there would have been time for excuses. What happened? That same king who had invited them to his feast, a feast in which not only was every imaginable delicacy available, but even the Kashrut was guaranteed, as the Megillah states: "to do according to each man's pleasure" (Esther 1:8). This means one who ate only Bada"tz food received food under the supervision of the Bada"tz, the same applied to those who used only "She-erit Yisrael" or any other type of "mehadrin" Kashrut. Imagine, any hechsher they wanted was available (see Esther Rabba 2:13), why should they not participate in such a feast? Suddenly out of the blue comes a decree "to destroy, to slay, and to exterminate all the Jews, from young to old, women and children" (Esther 3:13). Such a jolt shook their hearts as well as their minds. The shock of it all awakened them to repent.

THERE IS NO RECOURSE BUT THAT OF TSHUVA
There was no way to fight the enemy, for there was no Jewish army. Even had they tried to influence Achashverosh to repeal the decree it would have been of no use because, as Achashverosh said to Mordechai: "for an edict which is written in the king's name and sealed with the royal signet may not be revoked" (Esther 8:8). Even if Achashverosh would regret his actions; he would not be able to rescind this terrible decree. There were no natural means at Israel's disposal to defend themselves. Any weapons available in Shushan would have been confiscated by the Achashdarpanim and Pachot and given to the enemies of Israel, all the Amalekite subjects of Achashverosh who would fight against the Jewish nation. There was only one recourse tshuva and it had to happen soon for in just a short time Haman was going to hang them. Although at a later stage, Achashverosh permitted them to battle the enemy, they had no way of knowing that at this point.

Chazal ask why it was that Esther invited Haman to her feast. Inviting Achashverosh we can understand, it would have afforded her the opportunity to speak to him and explain to him that the Jewish people needed to be saved from Haman. Why, however would she want Haman's presence at her feast? One of the explanations offered by Chazal is that this was in order that Bnei Yisrael not rely on Esther to save them. If they were under the impression that she was aiding Haman then they would realize they cannot rely on her but only on Hashem. Tshuva would then be the only savior. Should they feel, however, that she was on their side, their repentance may not be sincere enough. They had to come to the realization that nothing could help them save for tshuva.

In Egypt the decrees were less harsh than those of Shushan, for Pharaoh did not wish to kill the Jewish people. He tried, not always successfully, to kill the children, but he had no plans to kill the adults. In Shushan it was decreed that every Jewish man, woman, and child die. The miracles in Egypt, however, were far greater. It was there that we witnessed ten plagues and many other supernatural events. In Shushan, however, everything appeared to conform to the laws of nature. This is one of the reasons the book we read on Purim is called Megillat Esther, from the word "hester", hidden, for Hashem's Countenance was concealed from us. It was not readily apparent that Hashem had punished and then saved us. The story of Achashverosh, at first glance does not appear out of the ordinary. A drunken king has a spat with his wife - that is nothing unusual. He then wants a new wife, certainly understandable. Later on two of his servants plot to kill him. The hand of Hashem is not apparent in this story.

Chazal tell us that Bnei Yisrael were initially angry with Mordechai for not having bowed down to Haman. Why must he go stirring up hatred against the Jewish people, why not take part in Achashverosh's feast, why does he not bow down to Haman? When their destruction was decreed, they understood that Mordechai was right and it was they who were wrong. Their desire to go to the feast had been in order to foster good relations with the king and the non-Jews of the time, now they realized that the only path was the one of tshuva. At the end, the hand of Hashem became apparent to all, for suddenly everything changed for the best and Haman was hanged.

In fact the Jews of Shushan reached higher levels than did those at Sinai. Regarding the acceptance of the Torah at Sinai, Chazal tell us that Hashem "covered them with the mountain as a vat" (Shabbat 88a) (to coerce them into accepting it). In Shushan, however, the re-acceptance of the Torah is described as "Kiyemu veKiblu" "the Jews confirmed and undertook upon themselves and their posterity" (Esther 9:27), which Chazal explain, "They established that which they had already accepted" (Shabbat 88a). They accepted the Torah willfully understanding that all these decrees are the guiding hand of Hashem. Nothing happens that is not a result of Divine Providence, the decrees as well as the salvation.

LEST THE WORLD REVERT TO A STATE OF NOTHINGNESS
The days of Purim are observed on the fourteenth and fifteenth of the month of Adar. Why were two separate days decreed? Because the people in Shushan rested from their enemies on the fifteenth while relief for the Jews in the rest of the world occurred on the fourteenth. The celebration, in other words, takes place on "the days on which the Jews gained relief from their enemies" (Esther 9:22). The Chatam Sofer poses the following question: why was Purim established on two different days such that "the time for one is not the time for the other" (Megilla 2a), would it not have been more appropriate to establish it on the thirteenth of Adar, the day described by the Gemara as "the time when all assembled" (Megilla 2a). This was the day in which the Jewish people fought against the enemy and this was the main miracle. Would it not have been more appropriate for the entire nation to observe the same day (perhaps the walled cities would have added an additional day because the fighting in Shushan went on for one more day, but the thirteenth would have been fitting for all to observe)? The Chatam Sofer answers that if the whole world would observe Purim on one day, all the Jews in the entire world would simultaneously be in a condition of "ad delo yada" (in which "One is obligated to become intoxicated on Purim until one does not know the difference between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai" (Megillah 7b)) and there would be nobody available to learn Torah. Given that our survival and that of all the worlds is dependent on our learning Torah, we cannot afford even a moment in which Torah is not learned!

This lack of Torah learning would result in the world returning to a state of nothingness (see Nefesh Hahayim shaar 1, chapter 16). The only solution to the problem was that Purim be observed over a two day period, when one group drinks the other learns and when the first one is learning, the second one is drinking.

Based on what we have said we can offer an additional answer to that of the Chatam Sofer. Purim was established on the days in which they rested from their enemies, to express that although the miracle of Purim was primarily physical (see Bach on Tur Orach Chaim 670), we thank Hashem for the spiritual salvation it brought about - "they accepted the Torah again in the days of Achashverosh" (Shabbat 88a). The only way the Jewish people could accept the Torah out of their own free will was on "the days on which the Jews gained relief from their enemies", not on a day of war. Purim is not only a celebration of our having overpowered the enemy but the fact that we accepted the Torah out of our own free will, this is part of the miracle of Purim. In Shushan the Jewish people became aware that whatever happens to us is from Hashem and that the only safe way we have to fight is through love of Torah and observance of Mitzvot.