The Secret Ger

                                                               Parashas Mishpatim

                         Torat Shem – From The Mouth of God We Heard T(w)o[o]

                                         Rabbi David Pesach ben Leib HaKohen [Katz]

Parashas Mishpatim is for all intents and purposes an extension of the Torah from Sinai. The order of recent events in an over generalized way would read –  to Marah [the place of bitter waters], where "Noahide Laws" were commanded [away from the earlier precedent of Bnei Noah, now transferred through Sinai Covenant] along with four other matters of law given, in Shabbat, Honoring Parents, Red Heifer, and Statutes, and onwards towards Sinai and beyond. Thus the domain of Mishpatim is to teach the "Dinim" [statutes] that accompany the Laws of Noah, which are now taught through a Sinai lens. Moses was told on these Laws/Statutes to make them as a "set table" [a Shulchan Aruch in Torah Lit.] and prepared before man, as the words in the Parasha in many ways epitomize the classic Jewish "Yeshivish/Talmudic" diet that has been chanted from study halls around the globe, during a long and nearly 2,000 year exile from The Land. The Torah thus must be a clear demonstration of King Solomon's words in Song of Songs, "To Push with the left, while embracing with the right" – for all that we have been told that the Torah is Jewish by nature, in Mishpatim we hear a different tune, one that resonates an eternal Sinai echo…"From the Mouth of God We Heard Two." Sinai stands eternally to capture the moment that lasts forever – the Jew and the Ger, side by side [in Torah], a reality that not only never fades away, but rather defines every aspect of life, and even stands to usher in the Righteous Messiah Soon in Our Days.

If we did in fact hear two, then question needs to be asked concerning who is this "we" and why did "we" hear two? There is an old school way of Torah thinking and association filled with cliché and stereotypes [yet not original], especially when delving into Parashas Mishpatim, that without compromise, one must believe the Torah is Jewish, only Jews are in the Torah, if you want in – then convert [which Jews supposedly don't proselytize], and the rest of the world is filled with idolaters who have no chance to exist in this World or the World to Come. The sad part of this thinking is not only that it is bigotry and small mindedness, but its greatest sin is that is reflects absolutely poor scholarship and highlights lazy habits in study and an utter dearth in Torah and Worldly Knowledge and Wisdom. Are these words harsh? – You Bet! The point being, that aside from the falseness of these strange mantras,  the Torah is overtly obvious – in that if we would just look at what is right in front of us, "from the mouth of God we did hear two" would be obvious! – The Ger and the Jew both stood at Sinai, under the umbrella of one will of God, and thus the plot thickens…oh does the plot thicken.

In previous Parshiot we have pointed out that there is a framework for Torah code that spans the entire Sinai tradition, to which extent the Ger is the tip of the spear on this front. Two such examples of this are in the grammar of the Hebrew usage of the Ger, which Chazal interpret anomalies to express the appropriate observance level of the Ger [i.e. 7 laws ceiling vs. a Ger who desires to keep more of the Torah's commandments], and in the same flavor, the Torah uses at least two distinctly different words for "the people" that effects the context and connotation of the text; "Bnei Yisrael" are seen to be "Jews" while "the People" is a reference to "Gerim" [as is with all codes, it is not a perfect science, commentators argue these points of code, and often times it is not though to formulate an exclusion principle, but rather an inclusive property, as to particularly not exclude]. Based on this revelation in Chazal, one need not think too far and fast into Mishpatim to realize that there are obviously per force Noahide references going on here in the most literal sense; but one armed with foresight of the Ger even on a novice level, will be shocked what a little bit of investigation will bring to the set table – that we live in a World filled with Gerim. This is a reality easily attained by simply learning the Torah's ramifications based on the topics at hand; with that said, a thorough investigation into what may be perhaps the Gerim's surprisingly biggest Parasha that exists, will yield what King David says in Tehillim [72] – is the Light of Messiah and a repair of the World…yes indeed, from the mouth of God, we did in fact hear two.

The formula is quite easy to equate, for once we have Emunah [faith to the point of revelation; isolating a fresh outlook of spiritual reality even into the physical] that we did in fact hear two together [based on the amount of data on the subject matter showing conclusive evidence that code theory with the Ger is in fact correct; from hypothesis to fact], and we have begun to see the pattern with precision [to the exclusion of guessing; rather now one can target with foresight, knowledge – wisdom, and discipline], every law in the Parasha comes under the microscope of "just who is it here that we are talking about" consciousness. All of a sudden the characters of Moses, Hashem, the people, children of Israel, etc. take on different form and filled with exponentially more content! The laws develop into a 3D model [where applicable obviously; point being that the rate of appearance now is radically greater than the one of two references at best – that the average scholar may notice on the fly from parsha to parsha] and paint a dynamic picture of the fabric of society that not only "was" in "Torah times" – but as an accurate model of the Universe as it is even today!

Here is a list of laws in the Parasha that most would identify as 100% Jewish, while upon further investigation, it spans both the Jewish and Ger Worlds with common impact upon its people: 1) the concept of a Shulchan Aruch 2) Sanhedrin 3) Maidens 4) Laws of Marah – 7 Laws, along with the previously mentioned commandments that were given  -TO THE GERIM 5) my Friend/Brother – who I have an equal command to help and love 6) Unkosher meat (generally thought to give to a "goy" – now we see that this can most likely be the meat given to the Ger Toshav and sold to the Nochri as in parashas Re'eh) 7) Brit [Ger Tzedek] 8) Shabbat 9) Making Gerim 10) not to lend with interest – a major revelation within the 7 Laws! 11) Don't taunt the Ger 12) leftovers of the crops [Peah] 13) Judging [Noahide] laws to perfection [and as King David said, Noahide Laws perfected brings Messiah and defeats Gog Magog] 14) Three festivals in Jerusalem 15) dietary awareness 16) The Land of Israel [and against its idolaters] 17) The Sinai Brit [not naasah v' nishmah] 18) Torah  AND 19) – BASED ON THE MEAT REFERENCES,  [the Ger who eats non-kosher meat as a means of tzedaka] we are  sent to the Talmud Bava Kama:

Bava Kama 38a is the source of the famous Noahide dictum, "A Nochri who is involved with Torah is compared to the High Priest"; this is in accordance with the precept of being on a path of "being commanded and doing as opposed to not being commanded, for Hashem has placed the command at Sinai, with the giving of the Torah. The simple underlying premise here is that Sinai stripped the World of everything, and re-routed Torah and all monetary systems through the Sinai Revelation; the World was now in potential for the Ger Toshav, and Torah eschatology, as King David describes, is predicated on the World realizing that potential, even as daunting and illogical as it may seem. In essence, the entire Torah once thought to be a one man team – comprised of Jews to the exclusion of idolaters, is in reality a Sinai Revelation that consists of Jews and Gerim, and a promise that the World will become perfected and filled with "The Knowledge of God."

To put the Parasha into ultra-focus, once we have the Torah of Emunah [as Rebbe Nachman prescribes predominantly in his works of faith and consequently relationships; materializing the spiritual into the physical] and can categorically relate to the Ger [and the Ger of the Jew, both in perfectly accurate terms; hence an ability to form and act upon a relationship that epitomizes a fractal of Messiah revelation], we become mandated upon every word or breath of Torah uttered, to ascertain whether or not this refers to a Ger or not. This is only an opening to an infinite arena, for through the Ger, Mankind is duty bound to find Mankind [Adam] in every inch of the infinite Torah!

The Torah was indeed given to Israel, yet is this same Torah, that is the makeup of every Ger in his soul root, and thus is attached to the revelation of the Torah given at Sinai. The beauty is, the entire World merited the Ger Toshav at Sinai, whether in Israel or Worldwide – and for all and any time period; bound through common law and common currency of involvement. The discovery of the truth takes place in Talmud Bava Kama 38a, over a discussion of treif [un-kosher; gored] meat. The Torah says that the damager is your Friend when carrying out the mandated law. Coincidentally enough, the context is that he is a potential Ger, and by definition of the Friend attribute IN TEXT, all are commanded to Love him as thyself, and all that comes within the great Mitzvah of Love the Ger. In case you missed it, Parashas Mishpatim told us to please refrain from taunting the Ger, for you were Gerim in Egypt…and as the Zohar points out, should you know what that means, well, then you have tasted of the Tree of Life, that emanates from the mouth of God, and yes, of course, we heard too. 


Audio Class On Parasha Tues 11 P.M. Tzfat 

Posted in: Article,Ger,Ger Toshav,Parsha,Torah,Tzfat,Yeshivat Shem V'Ever