Every list of “Essential Items for a Hike” contains some form of navigation aid.
For easier, shorter, local hikes, a phone will do. Longer, more involved hikes may need printed maps and often a compass. Whatever form they take, navigation aids help you get where you are going, and allow you to make adjustments when you get stray off course.
As the Israelites continue their journey through the wilderness, they often stray from their course. The weekly reading (Mispatim) takes place right after the connection with the Divine / receiving of Torah at Sinai. Here, we have the beginning of listing of the2 many specific laws for proper moral behavior. These laws (mitzvot) become the primary guiding force of the Jewish people from this point on. In the context of the Israelites journey, they form a behavioral goal as they transform from slavery to freedom, from working for the goals the Egyptians placed on them, to working for their own.
These guiding mitzvot are, in a very real sense, guidance on their journey. Like a compass, they point the way for the Israelites.
And also for us. We too stray from our best path in life. We often have to navigate a better personal path. We also strive to move in a direction that makes us more in touch with our community and more able to contribute positively to the world. Taking the Jewish journey allows us to use the mitzvot as a guide.
Mitzvot is most often translated as “commandments,” but is an overly narrow view. Mitzvot are more usefully understood as “guiding principles to live the best life in the Jewish context.” Leaving origins aside, they have been honed over the centuries with real world experiences, and they evolve to take modern technology and society into account.
They can be our guiding maps and compass as we work toward a more connected and impactful time on our journey in this life.
