From Slavery to Freedom:B’nai Yisrael Becomes a People

BUT WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE?WHO EXACTLY ARE WE?

Tomb painting from Hierakonpolis, Egypt, Predynastic, ca. 3500-3200 BCE.

The Palette of King Narmer, Predynastic, ca. 3200-2920 BCE

Is Might Only Right in Egypt?

No, the Egyptians had sophisticatedbeliefs about justice, fairness and truth!

What about other parts of the ancient world?

• Mesopotamia was very interested in kittum, truth and right, and mesarum, equity and justice • But, like Egypt, the

ancient Near East compartmentalized dinu, law; kihsu, moral rules; and parsu, religious orders

Cylinder seals were common in theancient Near East

Who was the lawgiver in the ancient world?

EPILOGUE OF THE CODE OF HAMMURABI

I WROTE MY PRECIOUS WORDS ON A STELE, AND IN THE PRESENCE OF THE STATUE OF ME, THE KING OF JUSTICE, I SET [IT] UP IN ORDER TO ADMINISTER THE LAW OF THE LAND, TO PRESCRIBE THE ORDINANCES OF THE LAND, TO GIVE JUSTICE TO THE OPPRESSED . . . .

Hammurabi’s Concern for Justice is not New

• Sargon of Akkad, who ruled in the 3rd century BCE, created the world’s first empire

• His goal, he said, was to establish justice in the land, especially for widows and orphans

• He also tried to keep the rich from abusing their power and beating and mistreating their slaves

ANCIENT LAW SHOWS US A HIGHLY STRATIFIED SOCIETYALL ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN AS WELL AS

EGYPTIAN LAW SPEAKS TO A HIEARCHICAL SOCIETY, ONE IN WHICH THE LOWER CLASSES AND SLAVES DO NOT HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS:

THE LAWS OF ESHNUNNA AND HAMMURABI HAVE DIFFERENT PENALTIES ACCORDING TO THE SOCIALSTATUS OF THE VICTIM. IF A MAN HITS A PREGNANTWOMAN OF THE UPPER CLASS, FOR EXAMPLE, AND CAUSES HER TO MISCARRY, HE PAYS A HIGHER PENALTY THAN IF HE HAD HIT AND CAUSED A MISCARRIAGE IN A WOMAN OF THE LOWER CLASS

WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE B’NAI YISRAEL?

B’NAI YISRAEL’S NEW STATUS

• We’ve been slaves and fully understand the feeling of oppression

• In fact, God constantly reminds us that our religious, legal and moral obligations stem from the fact that He took us out of Egypt in order to do His bidding, and that includes being religious and moral by following God’s laws

ץ Dר Dא Gיך מ Kאת Gר הוצ Dש Qיך, א Dלה Sה א Tהו Vי י KכXאנים Kלה Sך א Vה ל Dי Vים:  לא-יה Kד Tב Qית ע Gב Kים מ cר Vצ Kמ

י Tנ Tל-פ cים, ע Kר Gח Qא. Exodus 20:2

WHAT LAWS ARE UNDER DISCUSSION HERE?

• ר לה Gבו, ג Tת Vק cז Sח Dה Vך--ו Tמ Kדו ע Tה י Tט Tיך, ומ Kמוך אח Tי-י Kכ Vו ך.  Tמ Kי ע cח Tב ו Tתוש Vית, לוו Kב Vר cת Vך ו Dש Dתו נ Kא Gח מ cק Kאל-ת

ך.  Tמ Kיך, ע Kי אח Gח Vיך; ו Dלה Sא Gמ Tאת Gר Tי Vך--לזו Vפ Vס cת-כ Dא ך.  Dל Vן אכ Gת Kית, לא-ת Kב Vר cמ Vך; וב Dש Dנ Vן לו, ב Gת Kי, לחלא-ת Kנ Qא

ים-- Tר Vצ Kץ מ Dר Dא Gם, מ Dכ Vת Dי א Kאת Gר-הוצ Dש Qם, א Dיכ Gלה Sה א Tהו Vיים.  }ס{ Kאלה Gם ל Dכ Tיות ל Vה Kן, ל cע cנ Vץ כ Dר Dת-א Dם א Dכ Tת ל Gת Tל• בXד בו, לט Qע cך--לא-ת Tר-ל cכ Vמ Kנ Vך, ו Tמ Kיך ע Kמוך אח Tי-י Kכ Vו

ד.  Dב Tת ע cדXב Qת מע cנ Vד-ש cך; ע Tמ Kה ע Dי Vב, יה Tתוש Vיר כ Kכ Tש Vכ ך.  Tמ Kד עXב Qע cל, י GבXי cמו; מאה Kיו ע Tנ Tך--הוא, וב Tמ Kע Gא, מ Tצ Tי Vו

שוב.  Tיו, י TתXב Qת א cז yח Qל-א Dא Vתו, ו Vח cפ Vש Kל-מ Dב, א Tש Vמבו ים; לא Tר Vצ Kץ מ Dר Dא Gם מ TתXי א Kאת Gר-הוצ Dש Qם, א Gי ה cד Tב Qי-ע Kכ

ד Dב Tת ע Dר Dכ Vמ Kרו, מ Vכ Tמגימ , Tאת Gר Tי Vך; ו Dר Tפ Vה בו, ב Dד Vר Kלא-ת יך Dלה Sא Gמ

THAT WAS FROM VA’YIKRA, 25:35-42

• 35: If your kinsman, becoming poor, comes under your authority, and you hold him as though a resident alien, let him live by your side:

• 36: do not exact from him advance or accrued interest, but fear your God. Let him live by your side as your kinsman.

• 37: Do not lend him money at advance interest, or give him your food at accrued interest.

• 38: I the L-rd am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be your God.

WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

• 39: If your kinsman under you continues in straits and must give himself over to you, do not subject him to the treatment of a slave.

• 40: He shall remain with you as a hired or bound laborer; he shall serve with you only until the jubilee year.

• 41: Then he and his children with him shall be free of your authority; he shall go back to his family and return to his ancestral holding.---

• 42: For they are My servants, whom I freed from the Land of Egypt; they may not give themselves over into servitude.

• 43: You shall not rule over him ruthlessly; you shall fear your God.

The Democratic Spirit of the TorahShmot 20:7-9

• שוז Vד cק Vת, ל Tב cש cת-יום ה Dכור א Tז

• ךח Dת Vאכ cל Vל-מ Tכ Tית Kש Tע Vד, וXב Qע cים ת Kמ Tת י Dש Gש

• יך:  ט  . Dלה Sה א Tיהו cת, ל Tב cי--ש Kיע Kב Vש cיום, ה Vו ך Vד Vב cך, ע Dת Kך וב Vנ Kה וב Tת cה א Tאכ Tל Vל-מ Tה כ Dש Qע cלא-ת

יך Dר Tע Vש Kר ב Dש Qך, א Vר Gג Vך, ו Dת Vמ Dה Vך וב Vת Tמ Qא cו. 

ים Kנ QהXת כ Dכ Dל Vמ cי מ Kיו-ל Vה Kם ת Dת cא Vודוש Tגוי ק Vו

And you will be for me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation

-- Shmot 19:6

י Gר Vב Kל-ד Tת כ Gם א Tע Tר ל Gפ cס Vי cה, ו DשXא מXב Tי cון cע cי cים; ו Kט Tפ Vש Kמ cל-ה Tת, כ Gא Vה, ו Tהו Vי

רו, VאמXי cד, ו Tח Dם קול א Tע Tל-ה Tכה Dש Qע cה, נ Tהו Vר י Dב Kר-ד Dש Qים א Kר Tב Vד cל-ה Tכ

Shmot 24:3

Conclusions:

• Nowhere else in the ancient world is religious practice, morality and law combined.

• Combining these areas establishes an unprecedented type of treaty, or covenant, one between man and God.

• Because God (and not a ruler) is the lawgiver and has combined all areas of life, He introduces a democratic spirit and a regard for the sanctity of life that is unparalleled in the ancient world.

• His laws refine our character and make each person worthy to be God’s servant.