The laws that appear in this week’s portion, immediately following the revelation at Sinai, seem somewhat mundane by comparison. Why is it that laws relating to slavery, murder and kidnapping appear here, in a book devoted to telling the story of the creation of the Jewish people as opposed to in later books which deal with Jewish law. This class explores the connection between the Altar, and the portion of Mishaptim, telling us what they have in common and what these laws have to do with the creation of the Jewish people. The second part of the class looks at the 4 portions read before the weeks leading up to Pesach and how they embody aspects of preparation for the freedom we experience year after year during the holiday of Passover.
