Parshas Mishpatim: Make it "tasty"

by Rabbi Moshe Goldberger 

We have a pshat, an insight, that connects with parshas Mishpatim and also relates to the book, Gifts From Hashem, the Simchas Hachaim Publishing book on shar habechinah. Here’s a lesson in shar habechinah from the beginning of the parsha.

“Vu'eyleh hamishpotim asher tossim lifneihem — These are the rules you are to put before them.” Rashi explains, why does it say that your will “put it in front of them”? When someone is introducing a speaker, does he he say “these are the words”? Rather, he'll just give a speech, he'll teach Torah [without that kind of introduction].

It could have said asher tulamdeim — that you should teach them. Why instead does it say “asher tossim lifneihem”? Rashi says it should be like a shulchan aruch: the presentation should be like a set table, “hamuchon lechol lifnei ha'adam” that's ready for people to eat from.

Transcript continues after the audio player​

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We have to learn how to present Torah so that it's geshmak, it's tasty 

We learned this lesson from Rabbi Miller many times: that Hashem created food with colors, with taste, so much of a variety, and it's presentable in such a beautiful fashion. The housewife puts it down; she doesn't just dump the food on the table, she presents it, she sets it up.

The Torah is the same way. We have to learrn how to present it properly, like a “shulchan aruch umuchon lechol lifnei ha'adam” with tymim and peirushim, with tastes, with insights so that it's geshmak, that it's tasty and we will say look at the toiv Hashem, “toiv Hashem lakoil” look at the goodness from Hashem, all the gifts that Hashem showers us with constantly, in such pleasant ways.

Like we say in Birchas Hamazon, “buchein buchessed uverachamim” with charm, with favor, with kindness, with mercy, with compassion. It's all from the tuv Hashem. We have to thank Hashem constantly for all the goodness that He bestows on us.