Parshas Mishpatim is all about measure for measure.
And you shall not mistreat a stranger, nor shall you oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not oppress any widow or orphan. If you oppress him, beware, for if he cries out to Me, I will surely hear his cry. My wrath will be kindled, and I will slay you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children, orphans. When you lend money to My people, to the poor person who is with you, you shall not behave toward him as a lender; you shall not impose interest upon him. If you take your neighbor's garment as security, until sunset you shall return it to him, for it is his only covering; it is his garment for his skin. With what shall he lie? And it shall be that if he cries out to Me, I will hear because I am gracious.
Parshas Mishpatim is the basic Parsha of laws. It begins with laws dealing with a slave. Then with monetary Halachos pertaining to damages by the person. “One who strikes a man so that he dies”. Then damages from his animal “And if a bull gores a man or a woman and that one dies”. Then laws of a Shomer, “If a man gives his neighbor money or articles for safekeeping, and it is stolen from the man's house”, he has to safeguard someone else’s property. Then the Torah changes course with “You shall not allow a sorceress to live”. Then it follows with behavior between people: And you shall not mistreat a stranger, nor shall you oppress him. Followed by the laws of lending money. We can sum up the Parsha as being the core of how to behave between fellow Jews. Bein Adam Lechaveiro.
We know Hashem judges a person measure for measure, and the punishment is measure for measure. Dovid Hamelech writes: "Kindness is yours, Hashem, and You will pay each man according to his deeds." (Tehilim 62:13) There is another Posuk: "Hail the just man, for he shall fare well; He shall eat the fruit of his works. Woe to the wicked man, for he shall fare ill; As his hands have dealt, so shall it be done to him." (Yeshayahu 3:10-11)
When a man among you will bring an offering to Hashem. (1:12) The purpose of a Korbon was to bring a person to do teshuva, to repent. Each korbon had a specific sin it was meant to rectify in reality, “measure for a measure”. In sefer written by my great grandfather Reb Yitzchok Bachner l''vf it says that the initials of the word is, measure for measure. Every punishment that Hashem administers benefits the person and measured as per the sin.
The Mishna Pirkei Avos 2:6 brings the words of Rebbe Akiva: He also saw a skull that was floating on top of the water. He said to it: "Since you drowned others, others drowned you. And in the end, those that drowned you will be drowned."
In Parshas Bereishis 1:27 it says: And Hashem created man in His image; in the image of Hashem, He created him; male and female, He created them. Every Jew has a part in himself the image of Hashem. When someone hurts or bothers another Yid, he is doing so to Hashem. Therefore, the punishment is severe.
When dealing with converts or orphans and you mistreat or oppress them, you are doing so to Hashem, who is their father. Therefore, the punishment is measure for measure: beware, for if he cries out to Me, I will surely hear his cry. My wrath will be kindled, and I will slay you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children, orphans.
Afterwards we come to dealing with the poor person, Hashem says: And it shall be that if he cries out to Me, I will hear because I am gracious. We say in the prayer of Nishmas: You save the poor man from one stronger than he, and the poor and needy from one who would rob him, the cry of the poor You hear, the scream of the impoverished You hear and deliver. Here too Hashem has to defend these poor souls. Hence, the severe consequences.
When we transgress a sin towards another individual, even Yom Kippur doesn’t nullify it, until we ask forgiveness. Hence, the repercussions are harsh. However, Hashem always deals with kindness.
(Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
