Bringing Heaven Down to Earth

This week's Torah portion is Mishpatim - "Laws."  As we say in Southern California, this seems like a total bummer! Last week in the portion of Yitro, we read how the Jewish people witnessed the amazing miracles at the giving of the Torah, where G-d spoke "face to face" with them, something that has never occurred before or since. Many religions stem from a supposed Divine revelation to one man, but here we had an entire nation, from the children to the elders. 

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But right after this intense prophetic experience, we're now mired in the nitty-gritty details of the various laws of the Torah, laws that are expounded at great length through tens of thousands of pages in the Oral Torah. "What if your dog bit my leg and put me out of work for a week? How much is the fine?" Our Sages teach a beautiful idea about this: The entire purpose, the essence of that incredible experience at Sinai where our souls left our bodies, was all in order to bring that same G-d and inspiration into our mundane, everyday lives. This is the purpose of the Mitzvot. To bring G-d's Infinite Will into the details.

In Medieval Europe, as often happened, there was once an accusation against the Jewish way of life. The court decided to hear out the claims of the prosecutor and a Rabbi who represented the Jewish community. The prosecutor argued to the judge: "How silly is this religion! There are so many laws; There's even a directive on how one is supposed to tie their shoes!" The judge looked thoughtfully at both men, and before the Rabbi could speak, he answered: "Actually, I think it's quite beautiful to think that G-d wants a relationship with us, even down to the most simple details of our lives."

True love is in the details. When one shows his or her's attention to the desire of the other, they are showing their true love for the other's inner desire. May we work in our own lives to pay more attention to the desires of our Divine friend, perfecting this world to its very last detail. What a fitting way to bring Mount Sinai down to earth.

Shabbat Shalom!