The Midrash, specifically Shemot Rabbah, dives right into this question with a powerful idea. It begins with the verse, "These are the ordinances" (Exodus 21:1), and then links it to a verse from Psalms: "The might of the King is that He loves justice" (Psalms 99:4). Seems simple, right? But it's packed with meaning.
According to this Midrash, Moses essentially tells the Israelites: God gave you the Torah – His teachings, His wisdom, His very essence – but it comes with a huge responsibility. If you don't uphold the laws, if you don't strive for justice, He might just take it away. Whoa.
Now, some commentators, like the Etz Yosef, take this even further. They suggest that a Torah scholar – someone dedicated to studying and understanding God's word – won't even succeed in their studies if they aren't actively working to bring justice to the people. It's not enough to just know the law; you have to live it.
There's a subtle point here, too. The word "these" in Hebrew is ve'eleh, and that little "vav" at the beginning – that "and" – it connects the ordinances to the giving of the Torah itself. As the Maharzu points out, it suggests that the laws aren't just some add-on; they're intrinsically linked to the entire act of receiving the Torah.
So why did God give us the Torah in the first place? According to Shemot Rabbah, it's so we can perform the laws, so we can create a just society.
And there's a beautiful promise woven in here as well. If we do uphold the laws, if we do strive for justice, God is destined to restore our courts, our systems of justice, to their former glory. This is based on the verse in Isaiah: "I will restore your judges as at first" (Isaiah 1:26).
And what comes after that restoration? "Zion will be redeemed with justice" (Isaiah 1:27). Redemption itself is linked to justice!
It makes you think, doesn't it? The Torah isn't just an ancient text, full of rules and regulations. It's a blueprint for a just world. It's a call to action. It's a reminder that our actions, our commitment to justice, are directly tied to our relationship with the Divine. And maybe, just maybe, to the coming of a better world.