Parshat Mishpatim begins: "And these are the laws that you should set before them."1

It is strange for a parshah to begin with "and," which means that what comes next is in addition to what came before. What does that mean here?

In the previous portion we had read about the giving of the 10 Commandments at Sinai. Rashi2 explains that "and" tells us that “just as the former [10 Commandments] were from Sinai, so are these [latter mitzvahs] from Sinai."

The previous parshah ended with laws about the Temple altar. Rashi3 asks: "Why is the parshah of laws next to the parshah of the altar? To teach you that the Sanhedrin [the Jewish Supreme Court], should be next to the Temple [whose primary component was the altar]."

Now that we know that the laws here symbolize the Sanhedrin, the Jewish court, we will understand why the verse requires that the laws be placed "before them." As Rashi4 explains, you should bring your disputes before the Jewish court, "and not before that of the nations, and even if you know that they judge a certain law like Jewish law, don't bring it to their courts."

If they adjudicate the law in the same way as the Jewish court, why not bring it before them?

The point that Rashi is clarifying is that the laws that follow are from Sinai, from G‑d. Even though they make sense, to the point that even the non-Jewish people see them the same way, we should keep them not because they make sense, but because they are G‑d’s will.

Perhaps we can take it a step further. The reason it makes sense to us and even to the world, is because it is G‑d's wisdom, the Torah. Because the Torah is the blueprint with which G‑d created the world, and it is the system that G‑d imbued in the world, it makes sense.

Why does Rashi say "in addition to the first?" It is because there was something new that was added with the giving of these laws at Sinai that could now be understood. This is in line with what the Midrash5 tells us, that the separation between above and below was removed when the Torah was given. Now we can understand G‑d's wisdom. In other words, G‑d's wisdom can permeate our minds and the minds of the people of the world. This is why in some cases, their law is in agreement with Torah.

In truth, when the other nations rule in line with the seven laws that G‑d gave to the children of Noah, even though they make sense, they should do it because it's G‑d's will. When they do, they receive the title, "The Pious of the Nations of the World."6 This is because they are also obligated to believe in G‑d and shun idol worship.

This will be realized in its fullest when Moshiach comes. As the Rambam7 says, "there will not be any occupation, other than to know G‑d ... As it says, "For the world will be filled with the knowledge of G‑d."8 And this is true for the nations of the world as well. At that time, people will be able to grasp and understand the "knowledge of G‑d," the deep esoteric concepts that we experienced at the giving of the Torah, with their minds.

As the time of Moshiach nears, we see a change in the way nations see themselves.The new trend is for nations to gather and protect the weak from evil regimes It is apparent that it is more in line with the Torah. Instead of the old way of thinking, that "we are strong, so let us conquer the weak," the new trend is for nations to gather and protect the weak from evil regimes, and to put their money and manpower into humanitarian efforts. It has become so common that we don't even remember the old way. To most of us, the mere thought of it is abhorrent. In this day and age, most of the military is used for helping people around the world. This is reminiscent of Isaiah’s prophecy about the time of Moshiach, that "They will beat their swords into plows."9 This is an indication that the coming of Moshiach is near.

The time of Moshiach is hinted to in parshat Mishpatim, and the order of the parshahs surrounding it.

In the parshah, G‑d says, "to bring you to the place that I designated."10 Rashi11 explains that this means "that My place is already recognizable opposite it. This is one of the verses that state that the heavenly Temple is directly opposite the earthly Temple." And the heavenly Temple is what will come down as the Third Temple when Moshiach comes.

Parshat Mishpatim follows the laws of the altar in parshat Yitro. And, as mentioned above, "Why is the parshah of laws next to the parshah of the altar? To teach you that the Sanhedrin should be next to the Temple." And it precedes parshat Terumah, which has the verse, "You shall make for Me a sanctuary,"12 which is the commandment to build the Temple. Both of these laws reach their ultimate perfection with the coming of Moshiach, when the Sanhedrin will be at the highest level of Torah knowledge and will be next to the third and everlasting Temple.

Sandwiched between them is the parshah of Mishpatim, symbolic of G‑d's knowledge being understood by the people. Meaning that the idea of the redemption also becomes a reality in the minds of the people of the world. And this becomes clearer and clearer as the redemption nears.13

May he come soon. The time has come.