Shnayim Yomi - Mishpatim - Rishon - #1 - Rabbi Akiva Zweig - Preferring Compromise

Parashatim begins with the and these are the laws. Fascinating acronym taught to us by the is that the word the law stands for the judge is commanded that he should perform compromise before performing justice. That means that if two litigants come to court and they're arguing the case, before the dian, before the judge tells them what is the law, he's obligated to work with them that they should perform a compromise with one another. That means not do specifically what the law would dictate, but instead compromise with each other before trying to actually employ justice for them. And the question is why? If the Torah gives us laws and the Torah tells us what to do, isn't the highest ideal to perform the mishbat, the judgment that the Torah teaches? From here, I think we see a fascinating insight that the Torah prefers that Jews learn to work with one another, to care for one another, to do what's good for the other, not only for themselves, so that Jews build relationships of trust and of synergy where they can work things out together above observing the strict letter of the civil law with each other. It's an amazing lesson that the Torah is having us understand that a beginning point, the first word of Hamish Patim is teaching us that as much as it's true that there are specific Torah laws and legalities that determine monetary rights, we prefer that Jews compromise with each other and work together so that they can build with each other and synergize within one another and this way have a healthy and vibrant harmonious Jewish English Torah Society.