Mispatim: Ordinances. Also known as The Book of the Covenant.
This Torah Portion contains the first body of Laws that are found in Torah. The laws include moral imperatives which set the stage for social standards, as well as outlining civil and criminal statutes and rites of worship. The Parsha begins with the laws governing slaves, who must be offered freedom after seven years. These rules were followed by criminal laws. In Hebraic law, murder, kidnapping and injuring one's parents were all considered capital offenses.
This Parsha also sets out religious festivals and rituals, including Passover, Shavout and Sukkot.
The Parsha ends with Moses repeating the commands to the Israelites, who affirm their loyalty to the covenant. Moses climbs up the mountain to receive the tablets, where he remains hidden in the clouds for 40 days and nights.
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