Ever wonder why some laws feel like they were handed down on high, while others seem more... practical? Like, one minute we're getting the Ten Commandments, the next, we're figuring out property rights. Well, Jewish tradition actually sees a distinction, and Shemot Rabbah 30 gives us a fascinating glimpse into it.
The passage starts with the phrase, "These are [ve’eleh] the ordinances." That little word "ve’eleh" – "these are" – isn't just a throwaway. The Midrash sees it as a connector, linking the mishpatim, the ordinances, to the previous section about the giving of the Torah itself. The Torah, according to this interpretation, was given in the morning, and the ordinances in the evening. As it says in Job 4:20, "From morning to evening they are broken; forever unaware, they perish." The idea is that ignoring the Torah and the ordinances brings punishment.
Think of it like this: Imagine two people going to court. One's a lawyer, the other's just winging it. What makes the layman more likely to lose? He doesn't have anyone to teach him the law! Similarly, the Midrash suggests that God was holding back judgment on Mount Sinai, as it says, "My hand grasps judgment" (Deuteronomy 32:41). David even says, "Judge me, Lord, in accordance with my righteousness" (Psalms 7:9). But, the Midrash implies, David was punished because he didn't fully grasp the parameters of divine justice. He hadn't yet organized the ordinances for himself! It’s all connected to that verse in Job: “From morning to evening they are broken; forever unaware [mesim], they perish” (Job 4:20). The word mesim is linked to the ordinances, because "these are the ordinances that you shall place [tasim] before them." The punishment comes from not knowing the ordinances and how they play into divine judgment.
But it gets even more interesting.
The Midrash then offers another interpretation of "these are the ordinances," focusing on that phrase "forever unaware, they perish." It tells a story about a drunk ruffian who wreaks havoc – kicking down prison doors, stoning statues, and cursing officials. He even demands to be taken to the governor so he can "teach him justice!" But when the ruffian sees the governor actually in action – incarcerating nobles, expelling officials, and blinding dukes – he gets scared. He realizes he was "intoxicated" and didn't understand the governor's power.
Job, in this analogy, is like the ruffian. Job cries out, "If only I could know and find Him…I would organize my case before Him" (Job 23:3–4). But then, the Midrash says, Job "stones the image" by cursing the day he was born (Job 3:3) – remember, humans are made in God's image! He "frees the prisoners" by saying, "Let the stars of its twilight be dark" (Job 3:9). He "curses the officer" by saying, "May that night be taken by blackness" (Job 3:6).
And then, Job sees God "sitting on the podium," enacting judgment: Miriam is afflicted with leprosy (Numbers 12:10), Moses is barred from the promised land (Numbers 20:12), Isaac goes blind (Genesis 27:1), Abraham's descendants are enslaved (Genesis 15:13), and Jacob walks with a limp (Genesis 32:32). Seeing all this, Job realizes he was "intoxicated" and says, "Indeed I erred, my error rests with me" (Job 19:4). Why such a strong reaction? Because Job didn't understand how exacting divine judgment is. "Forever unaware, they perish."
So, what does this all mean? It's a powerful reminder that understanding God's laws, both the big-picture commandments and the nitty-gritty ordinances, is crucial. It's not enough to just want justice; we need to learn what it truly means, and how it operates in the world. And perhaps, more importantly, it's a lesson in humility. Before we rush to judge God, or anyone else, we need to make sure we truly understand the full picture.