Parshat Mishpatim

I tried an experiment, changing when my bedroom light turned off to before 10p, and it worked: I woke up around 6a, had time to laze in bed, and still be a bit early to 7a davening (no, autocorrect, I do not mean “deveining”….), making it to Shabbat davening in shul for the first time in too long. I was the second person there, and ended setting up the mechitzah. People arrived steadily enough that there wasn’t a wait at shacharit, which was great, especially since some regulars weren’t available (it’s not a large minyan).

We read parshat Mishpatim today, and two pesukim stood out from the rest of the laws being discussed, ones that perhaps the people who still support some of the actions of the current regime yet claim to revere their holy texts should remember.

Shmot/Exodus 22:21
וְגֵ֥ר לֹא־תוֹנֶ֖ה וְלֹ֣א תִלְחָצֶ֑נּוּ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
You shall not wrong or oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Shmot/Exodus 23:2
לֹֽא־תִהְיֶ֥ה אַחֲרֵֽי־רַבִּ֖ים לְרָעֹ֑ת וְלֹא־תַעֲנֶ֣ה עַל־רִ֗ב לִנְטֹ֛ת אַחֲרֵ֥י רַבִּ֖ים לְהַטֹּֽת׃
You shall neither side with the mighty to do wrong—you shall not give perverse testimony in a dispute so as to pervert it in favor of the mighty—

(and the next pasuk is about not favoring the poor either; I think that is currently not our issue)
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