Parshat Mishpatim deals with various civil and criminal laws ranging from property damage to how we treat slaves. The Parsha begins by saying "and these are the laws". Rashi comments on the word Mishpatim and adds "these are also from Sinai". Mishpatim, unlike Chukim, are rational laws that people would have come to implement for the good of society whether or not the Torah had commanded them. Rashi is making the clear distinction that we are following these laws not because they are the way of the land but rather because Hashem commanded us to.

On a deeper level Rashi is also saying that although now these laws seem logical, people would not have been able to create these laws on their own unless Hashem commanded them at Har Sinai. "And these are the laws" in essence is teaching us there is no morality independent of God.

When people start creating their own laws of morality we end up with societies who kill innocent people for what they feel is the "right" thing to do. All we need to do is go through the history of the Jewish people in all the countries where we have lived and we can see what people with "morals and values" did to the Jewish people. Human beings cannot be trusted to create a system of morals.

Perhaps an example of Hashem's deep understanding into human beings can give to some insight into His brilliance into His creating a system of morals and values.

Many of the Mishpatim in this week's Parsha discuss how we interact "ben adam l‟chavero‟. One such Mitzvah discussed twice in the Parsha is how we should treat the convert kindly. Rashi, in 22:20, comments that this is because the Ger can reply "you were also a stranger in a strange land‟. This explanation seems to only benefit one party and without pure intentions. The Torah discusses being kind to those less fortunate thirty six separate times. Are all those times for self-serving reasons as well?

The second time treatment of a Ger is mentioned Rashi comments, 23:9 "you know the soul of the stranger for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." This response is very different from our first, this time encouraging us to sympathize with the Ger. These two seemingly opposite reasons speak to the wisdom of Torah of course the ideal is to be kind to the Ger for the purest of intentions but the Torah understands we are not all there yet. Let us strive to be like the sympathizer and not need the threat of punishment to do what is right.

(Based on Sichas Shabbos Parshas Mishpatim 5752)