Subject: [jewishbom] BoM Parashah Mishpatim
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 20:01:51 PST
From: "Yosef benYehudah" <rabbiyosef@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: jewishbom@egroups.com
To: jewishbom@makelist.com

 This weeks Torah Parashah is Mishpatim (Rulings; Judgements)

 Torah reading:
 Sh'mot (Ex. 21-24)

 Haftorah reading:
 Yirmeyahu (Jer.) 34:8-22; 33:25-26

 BoM readings:
 Ya'akov (Jacob) 2
 3Ne. 12:38-42
 1Ne. 4:5-19

 This weeks reading is called "Mishpatim."  The name of each Torah
 reading is taken from the first Hebrew word in that reading.  MISHPATIM
 is the word translated in the BoM as "judgements" in passages like 2Ne.
 5:10; Mosiah 29:29, 43 and Alma 30:57.

 In this weeks reading I will concentrate on Sh'mot (Ex.) 21:12-14 which
 sheds some light on one of the controversial accounts in the BoM.
 Sh'mot 21:12-14 reads:

         He who fatally strikes a man shall be put to death.
         If he did not do it by design,
         but it came about by an act of God,
         I will assign you a place to which he can flee.
         When a man schemes against another
         and kills him treacherously,
         you shall take him from my very alter to be put to death.

 Now one of the most controversial acounts in the BoM records how Nephi
 killed Laban.
 According to the story Nephi encounters a drunk Laban by chance in the
 nighttime streets
 of Jerusalem and kills him (1Ne. 4:5-19).  Many are shocked by this
 story and accuse
 Nephi of murder.  However under Jewish Law this is clearly not a case of
 Murder.  Nephi's account makes it clear that this killing fit the
 circumstances described by Sh'mot 21:12-14 perfectly.  To fit this
 MISHPAT (rule; judgement) a killing must:

         1.  not be done by design

         2.  come about by an act of God

 Now Nephi makes it clear that his slaying of Laban was not by design, he
 says:

         And I was led by the Spirit,
         not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.
         (1Ne. 4:6)

 He also makes it clear that the slaying was "an act of God" saying:

         And it came to pass, that the Spirit said onto me again:
         Slay him for the Lord has delivered him into your hands;
         Behold the Lord slayeth
         to bring forth his righteous purposes...
         And again, I knew that the Lord had delivered Laban
         into my hands for this cause...
         (1Ne. 4:12-13a, 17)

 It is very interesting that the the MISHPAT (rule; judgement) in the
 Torah goes on to say,
  "I will assign you a place to which he can flee."  This generally
 refered to a city of refuge.  These cities were deignated safe havens
 where these people would be safe from those who would pursue them for
 revenge.  However in Nephi's case God had another idea for a place that
 God would designate for Nephi to flee as expressed in the following
 chapters of First Nephi.

 There is a clear connection between this MISHPAT from this weeks Torah
 reading and the BoM story in which Nephi kills Laban.  Under Jewish Law
 Nephi's killing of Laban was NOT murder, it was not by design, but an
 act of God, and God fulfilled his promise in the Torah to provide Nephi
 with a place to flee.

 Rabbi Yosef

 *****************************************************
 * The Jews do understand the things of the prophets,*
 * and there is none other people that understand the*
 * things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto  *
 * them, save it be that they are taught after the   *
 * manner of the things of the Jews. (2Ne. 25:5b)    *
 *****************************************************

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