Feb 5, 2024
by R. Eliezer Simcha Weisz
There is a debate about what will happen the day after the war and there is an argument over whether we should be planning for the aftermath of the war during the time of war. We must be aware that for hundreds of people who have been killed, it is already the day after, as it is for their surviving women and children. For them, the war has already changed their status to being orphans and widows. They do not need to discuss hypothetical questions about the day after; the war has already had its irreversible impact.
It is about them that the Torah speaks in this week's parsha, Mishpatim. The Torah teaches us to be especially sensitive to those suffering misfortune. As the verse in Shemos states, “כל אלמנה ויתום לא תענון, You shall not cause pain to any widow or orphan” (22:21). Rashi, quoting the Mechilta, states that while this commandment applies to all people, the Torah speaks specifically about widows and orphans as their grief makes them especially vulnerable to emotional exploitation and pain.
ָאֶלָּ ם, אָדָ ל אְכִ ין לַדּכל אלמנה ויתום לא תענון. הוּא ה ָ צוּיָ ר מָבְדַ וֹחֵ י כשׁוּשׁ ְֵ ם תֶּ הִ י שְׁפֶ ה, לַ הוֹוָ תוּבבּ ַכֵּ ר הִ בֶּ דּשׁ (ם )מכילתאַָ וֹנּתְﬠל
Rashi does not quote the whole text of the Mechilta, which stresses that what is important is not whether we feel that we are causing pain to the other - the test is not a subjective one. It is a test of how the other person feels. Often, we cannot fathom or understand the sensitivity of the widow or orphan. And we must realize this. This may happen today when we even speak of "the day after" in the presence of those who are experiencing an unchangeable "day after."
The Mechilta tells us that R. Yishmael and R. Shimon are about to be executed. R. Shimon expresses confusion about the reason for his impending execution. R. Yishmael provides an explanation by asking R. Shimon whether he had ever made someone wait for a judgment while he finished a drink or completed some other personal task. R. Yishmael points out that the emphasis of the verse is on not
