And these are the judgments that you shall set before them (Ex. 21:1)
As Rashi explains, the Torah juxtaposes "civil" laws with the laws of the altar, to teach that the Jewish Court must be located next to the Temple. To Jews, societal laws are holy. In the same way that the sacrificial offerings in the Temple were a Divine service, so too are the Torah's laws of interpersonal behavior a way for the Jew to serve G-d in his daily life. (Avnei Ezel)
On the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest (Ex. 23:12)
A Jew's rest on Shabbat should be so forceful and intense that it exerts an influence on his surroundings, including his animals. Indeed, the Talmud relates the story of Rabbi Yochanan ben Torta's cow, which refused to work on Shabbat after it was sold to a non-Jew. (The Admor of Gur)
Reprinted from Parshat Mishpatim 5762/2002 edition of L’Chaim
