July 26th thru August 1st, 2026
18 – Parasha Ha’Mishpatiym (הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים) — “The Judgments”– 5th Month 11th thru 5th Month 17th — (08/01/2026)
18 – Parsha Ha’Mishpatiym (הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים) — “The Judgments”
July 26th thru August 1st, 2026
Torah Portion: Shemoth (Exodus) 21:1 – 24:18
Haftarah: Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 56:1 – 57:10
Brit Ha’dasha: Mattithyahu (Matthew) 5:33-42 & 17:1-11
Daily Readings
1stday (Sunday) – Shemoth (Exodus) 21:1-11 – Yahuah declares unto Mosheh, “Now these are The Judgments which thou shalt set before them”; He continues by revealing judgments concerning the Ivriy servant, declaring that if a man buy an Ivriy servant, six years he shall serve and in the seventh year he shall go out free for nothing; If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself, and if he were married, his wife shall go out with him; But if his master gave him a wife and she bore him sons or daughters, the wife and children shall be her master’s and he shall go out by himself; Yet if the servant plainly says, “I love אֶת my master, אֶת my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,” then his master shall bring him unto the judges and unto the door or doorpost, and his master shall pierce אֶת his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever; Yahuah also gives judgments concerning a maidservant, establishing protection, provision, and righteous treatment within His people.
2ndday (Monday) – Shemoth (Exodus) 21:12-36 – Yahuah continues giving His judgments concerning life, justice, and responsibility among Yashar’el; He establishes judgments concerning murder, accidental death, violence against parents, kidnapping, and personal injury; He distinguishes between the one who acts presumptuously and the one who unintentionally causes harm; Yahuah commands that those who strike another and cause injury must be judged according to righteousness; He establishes judgments concerning servants, declaring that if a man smite אֶת his servant or אֶת his maid with a rod and they die under his hand, he shall surely be punished; He gives judgment concerning injury to a woman with child, declaring life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe; He establishes that if a man smite אֶת the eye of his servant or אֶת the eye of his maid and it perish, he shall let them go free; He gives judgment concerning an ox that gores אֶת a man or אֶת a woman, requiring accountability from the owner and protection of life.
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 5:33-42 – Yahusha teaches His talmidiym concerning oaths and truthful speech, commanding that their communication be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; He teaches that what is beyond these comes of evil; Yahusha addresses the judgment of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, teaching His followers not to resist evil with vengeance but to walk in humility and mercy; He commands them to turn the other cheek, give to those who ask, and not turn away from those who would borrow.
3rdday (Tuesday) – Shemoth (Exodus) 22:1-31 – Yahuah continues His judgments concerning theft, restitution, responsibility, and compassion among His people; He commands restoration when an ox, sheep, or other possession has been stolen, teaching that wrongs must be made right; He establishes judgments concerning fields, vineyards, fire, entrusted possessions, borrowed animals, and disputes between neighbors; The matter of lost things is brought before the judges so that righteous judgment may determine the cause; Yahuah commands His people not to oppress the sojourner because they were sojourners in the land of Mitsrayim; He commands that they not afflict the widow or the fatherless child, promising to hear their cry when they are oppressed; He commands compassion toward the poor among His people, forbidding charging interest on loans (usury) and requiring the return of a neighbor’s garment before sunset; Yahuah commands that His people honour Him with their first fruits and firstborn, and declares that they shall be set apart unto Him.
Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 56:1-8 – Yahuah calls His people to guard judgment and do justice because His yeshu’a is near to come and His righteousness is to be revealed; He blesses those who guard the Shabbath from polluting it and hold fast to His covenant; He promises a place and a name within His house to those who love His ame, serve Him, and keep His Shabbaths; Yahuah declares that His house shall be called a house of prayer for all people and that He will gather those who join themselves unto Him.
4thday (Wednesday) – Shemoth (Exodus) 23:1-19 – Yahuah commands His people concerning truthful testimony, righteous judgment, and mercy toward their neighbor; He commands them not to raise a false report or join with the wicked as an unrighteous witness; They are commanded not to follow a multitude to do evil or turn judgment aside; Yahuah commands that even an enemy’s possessions must be treated with righteousness, declaring that if they meet their enemy’s ox or ass going astray, they must surely bring it back, and if they see the ass of one who hates them lying under its burden, they must help; He commands them to keep far from false matters and not condemn the innocent; Yahuah establishes the seventh year rest for the land and commands six days of work followed by the seventh day of rest so that the ox, ass, son of the handmaid, and sojourner may be refreshed; He commands His people to be guarded in all these things and commands to guard אֶת the Feast of Matstsah, the Feast of Qatsiyr, and the Feast of Aciyph.
5thday (Thursday) – Shemoth (Exodus) 23:20-33 – Yahuah promises to send an Angel before His people to guard them on The Way and bring them into the place He has prepared; He commands them to obey His voice and not provoke Him because His name is in Him; If they obey His voice and do all that He speaks, Yahuah declares that He will be an enemy אֶת unto their enemies and an adversary אֶת unto their adversaries; He promises to bless אֵ֚ת their bread and water, remove sickness from among them, and fulfill the number of their days; He promises to send אֶת His fear before them and destroy אֶת those who oppose them; He commands His people not to bow down to the elohiym of the nations, serve them, or follow their works; They are commanded not to cut covenant with them or with their elohiym because it would become a snare unto them and cause them to sin against Yahuah.
Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 56:9-57:10 – Yahuah rebukes the blind watchmen and shepherds who failed to guard His people; They are described as seeking their own ways and their own gain rather than faithfully watching over those entrusted to them; Yahuah exposes the false worship and covenant-breaking ways of those who turned from Him; They cut covenant with others and abandoned faithfulness unto Yahuah, bringing themselves into ruach corruption and weariness.
6thday (Friday) – 6thday (Friday) – Shemoth (Exodus) 24:1-18 – Yahuah commands Mosheh to come up unto El-Yahuah with Aharon, Nadav, Aviyhu, and seventy of the elders of Yashar’el; Mosheh alone comes near unto Yahuah while the others worship afar off; Mosheh tells the people אֵ֚ת all the words of Yahuah and all the judgments, and all the people answer with one voice, declaring that all the words which Yahuah has said they will do; Mosheh writes אֵ֚ת all the words of Yahuah, builds an altar, and offers sacrifices unto Yahuah; He takes the book of the covenant and reads it before the people, and they declare that they will do and be obedient; Mosheh takes אֵ֚ת the blood and sprinkles it upon the people, declaring the blood of the covenant which Yahuah has made concerning all these words; The elders of Yashar’el see אֵ֖ת the Elohai of Yashar’el and eat and drink before Him; Yahuah calls Mosheh into the mount to receive the tables of stone, a Torah, and commandments which He has written; The glory of Yahuah covers אֶת the mount six days, and on the seventh day He calls unto Mosheh from the midst of the cloud; Mosheh enters into the cloud and remains in the mount forty days and forty nights.
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 17:1-11 – After six days Yahusha takes Kepha, Ya’aqov, and Yochanon his brother up into a high mountain apart; Yahusha is transfigured before them, His face shining as the sun and His raiment white as the light; Mosheh and Eliyahu appear speaking with Him; A bright cloud overshadows them, and the voice from the cloud declares, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him”; The talmidiym fall upon their faces in fear, but Yahusha touches them and commands them not to fear; When they lift their eyes, they see no man except Yahusha only.
Main Themes & Commandments
Becoming a Slave of Yahuah Through Covenant Love — The Ear Marked at the Doorpost
Within the judgments given at Mount Siynai, Yahuah reveals that service is not merely about obligation but about covenant love and willing devotion. The Ivriy servant who completes six years of service may go free in the seventh year, yet the servant who declares, “I love אֶת my master, אֶת my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,” chooses to remain in service forever. His ear is pierced at the doorpost with an awl, cutting a willing blood covenant commitment to remain with his master.
This act is not a commandment to physically pierce the ear as a religious practice, but a picture of a heart that has willingly surrendered itself in love and obedience. The doorpost recalls the place of redemption during Pesach, where the blood marked the entrance of the dwelling and those within belonged to Yahuah. In the same way, those redeemed by Yahuah are called to become servants of righteousness, choosing His will and ways above their own.
Shemoth (Exodus) 21:5-6 – “And if the servant shall plainly say, I love אֶת my master, אֶת my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall pierce אֶת his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever.”
Devariym (Deuteronomy) 15:16-17 – “And it shall be, nif he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee; Then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.”
Romaiym (Romans) 6:16-18 – “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But Elohiym be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then pmade free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
Romaiym (Romans) 12:1 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of Elohiym, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, set apart, acceptable unto Elohiym, which is your reasonable service.”
**Yahuah calls His redeemed people to willingly surrender themselves as servants unto Him. The commandment is to love Yahuah above our own freedom, desires, and ways, choosing lifelong covenant obedience because our hearts belong to Him.
Guarding the Shabbaths and Mo’ediym (Appointed Times) of Yahuah
Within Ha’Mishpatiym, Yahuah reminds His people that covenant obedience includes guarding His mo’ediym (appointed times). The weekly Shabbath, the seventh-year rest for the land, and the appointed feasts are not human traditions but instructions given by Yahuah for His people.
The Shabbath demonstrates trust in Yahuah as Creator and Provider. By resting on the seventh day, His people declare that their provision does not come solely through their own labor but through the blessings of Yahuah. The land also receives rest in the seventh year, teaching that all creation belongs to Him. The appointed feasts continually remind Yashar’el of His yeshu’a, redemption, provision, and covenant faithfulness.
Shemoth (Exodus) 23:10-12 – “And six years thou shalt sow אֶת thy land, and shalt gather in אֶת the fruits thereof: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the sojourner, may be refreshed.”
Shemoth (Exodus) 23:14-17 – “Three times thou shalt guard a feast unto Me in the year. Thou shalt guard אֶת the Feast of Matstsah: (thou shalt eat matstsah seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Aviyv; for in it thou camest out from Mitsrayim: and none shall appear before Me empty:) And the Feast of Qatsiyr (Harvest), the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the Feast of Aciyph (Ingathering), which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in אֶֽת thy labours out of the field. Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before Master Yahuah.”
Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 56:1-2 – “Thus saith Yahuah, Guard ye judgment, and do justice: for My yeshu’a (salvation) is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of A’dam that layeth hold on it; that guards the Shabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.”
Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 56:6-7 – “Also the sons of the sojourner, that join themselves to Yahuah, to serve Him, and to love the name of Yahuah, to be His servants, every one that keepeth the Shabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of My covenant; Even them will I bring to My set apart mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer: their ascending smoke offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar; for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. ”
**Yahuah commands His people to guard His Shabbaths and His mo’ediym as signs of covenant relationship and trust in Him. The commandment is to set apart the times Yahuah has established rather than following the patterns and calendars of men.
Loving Your Neighbor as Yourself Through Mercy and Righteous Judgment
The judgments of Yahuah reveal that love toward our neighbor is not merely an emotion but an action expressed through justice, mercy, and responsibility. Yahuah commands His people to protect life, restore what has been wrongfully taken, care for the vulnerable, and show kindness even toward those who consider themselves enemies.
The heart of this commandment is revealed when Yahuah instructs His people to return an enemy’s lost possession and assist an enemy’s animal that has fallen under its burden. Love is demonstrated when obedience to Yahuah overcomes personal vengeance, hatred, resentment, or hostility.
Shemoth (Exodus) 23:4-5 – “If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.”
Shemoth (Exodus) 22:21-24 – “Thou shalt neither vex a sojourner, nor oppress him: for ye were sojourners in the land of Mitsrayim. Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto Me, I will surely hear their cry; And My wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your women shall be widows, and your children fatherless.”
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 19:18 – “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am Yahuah.”
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 5:44 – “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 22:39-40 – “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Torah and the prophets.”
**Yahuah commands His people to demonstrate covenant love through mercy, justice, and compassion. The commandment is to love our neighbor—even our enemy—not according to our feelings, but according to the righteous character of Yahuah.
Walking in the Way of Yahuah and Refusing Covenant With the Enemy
Yahuah warned Yashar’el that entering the promised land would require more than victory over physical enemies; they were commanded to reject the ways, worship, and covenants of those nations. The danger was not merely the presence of the nations but the possibility that Yashar’el would abandon the way of Yahuah and follow the practices of those around them.
Yahuah promised protection, blessing, and victory if His people obeyed His voice. However, He warned that making covenants with the nations and their elohiym would become a snare, leading His people away from covenant faithfulness.
This same warning continues throughout scripture. Yahuah desires a people who walk according to His instructions rather than adopting the ways of the other nations.
Shemoth (Exodus) 23:22 – “But if thou shalt indeed obey His voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy אֶת unto thine enemies, and an adversary אֶת unto thine adversaries.”
Shemoth (Exodus) 23:24 – “Thou shalt not bow down to their elohiym, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.”
Shemoth (Exodus) 23:32-33 – “Thou shalt cut no covenant with them, nor with their elohiym.They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against Me: for if thou serve אֶת their elohiym, it will surely be a snare unto thee.”
Devariym (Deuteronomy) 12:30-31 – “Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their elohiym, saying, How did these nations serve their elohiym? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the Yahuah Elohayka: for every abomination to Yahuah, which He hateth, have they done unto their elohiym; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their elohiym.”
Yochanon (John) 14:15 – “If ye love Me, guard My commandments.”
**Yahuah commands His people to remain separate from the ways of the other nations and walk only according to His voice. The commandment is to reject every covenant, practice, and path that leads away from Yahuah and to remain faithful to His Word.
Yahuah Establishes His Covenant Through His Words and Judgments
Ha’Mishpatiym concludes with Mosheh declaring all the words and judgments of Yahuah before the people. The covenant is not established through human ideas or traditions but through hearing, believing, and obeying the words spoken by Yahuah. The people respond with one voice, “All the words which Yahuah hath said will we do.”
The blood of the covenant confirms the seriousness of their commitment. Yahuah’s covenant requires both hearing and obedience, revealing that relationship with Him is demonstrated through faithfulness to His revealed instructions.
Shemoth (Exodus) 24:3 – “And Mosheh came and told the people אֵ֚ת all the words of Yahuah, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which Yahuah hath said will we do.”
Shemoth (Exodus) 24:7-8 – “And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that Yahuah hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Mosheh took אֵ֚ת the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which Yahuah hath made with you concerning all these words.”
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 17:5 – “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.”
**Yahuah calls His people to hear His voice, receive His covenant, and walk faithfully in His judgments. The commandment is to obey all that Yahuah has spoken, remaining in covenant relationship through faithfulness and obedience.
Hebrew Link Words
Ha’Mishpatiym (ham·miš·pā·ṭîm) (הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים) — “The Judgments” — Strong’s Hebrew Word 4941 [e]
The Hebrew word הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים (Ha’Mishpatiym) which means the judgments in this instance. The base word,מִשְׁפָט mishpat, means several things including: judgment, justice, ordinance, law, decision, the rights of a person: and is from the primitive root SHW 8199 which simply means to judge. Mosheh is commanded to give the mishpatiym, the understanding to Yashar’el of how to interpret the Torah to ensure justice is carried out according to the commandments of Yahuah.
The assembly today is so hung up by the misinterpreted words of Yahusha in Mattithyahu 7:1-5 of not judging that we forget who we are and what we have been called to do. We have not been called to be set-apart just to allow lawlessness to abound in the assembly. We are to walk the ten commandments in our journey of the set-apart way during our sojourn here, helping each other out along the way by rightly dividing the word of truth and correcting/judging each other in the correct way.
Yahusha Ha’Mashiach in the Torah Portion
- He is Yahuah who continued speaking unto Mosheh after the people feared hearing the voice of Father Yahuah from Mount Siynai, revealing Yahusha Ha’Mashiach as the One through whom Father Yahuah continued giving His covenant judgments unto Yashar’el.
- He is Yahuah who declared these are the judgments to be set before Yashar’el, revealing Mashiach as the righteous Lawgiver and Judge who reveals the will of Father Yahuah.
- He is Yahuah who established the judgment concerning the willing servant whose ear was pierced at the doorpost, revealing the covenant relationship between the Master and the servant that Yahusha Himself would perfectly fulfill.
- He is Yahuah who commanded righteousness, justice, mercy, and restitution throughout His judgments, revealing Mashiach as the righteous Judge whose judgments are true and altogether just.
- He is Yahuah who commanded compassion toward the poor, the widow, the fatherless, and the sojourner, revealing the heart of Father Yahuah through His Son.
- He is Yahuah who commanded Yashar’el to return the lost ox or ass of their enemy and to help lift the burden of one who hated them, revealing the love and mercy later demonstrated and taught by Yahusha Ha’Mashiach.
- He is Yahuah who established the weekly Shabbath, the seventh-year rest for the land, and the appointed feasts, revealing Mashiach as Master of the Shabbath and the fulfillment of Yahuah’s appointed times.
- He is Yahuah who declared, “Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to guard thee on the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared,” revealing Yahusha Ha’Mashiach as the Angel of Yahuah who goes before His people and is preparing the eternal home for His people now at the right hand of Father Yahuah to return one day soon to bring us there.
- He is the Angel in whom Yahuah declared, “My Name is in Him,” revealing Yahusha Ha’Mashiach as the bearer of the Father’s Name and authority.
- He is Yahuah who warned Yashar’el not to cut covenant with the other nations nor with their elohiym, revealing Mashiach as the faithful Shepherd who calls His people to remain wholly devoted unto Father Yahuah.
- He is Yahuah Who commanded Mosheh to, “Come up unto El-Yahuah, thou, and Aharon, Nadav, and Aviyhu, and seventy of the elders of Yashar’el; and worship ye afar off”, revealing Mashiach Yahusha as the true High Priest and Mediator between Father Yahuah and the children of Yashar’el.
- He is Yahuah before whom Mosheh declared אֵת all the words of Yahuah and all the judgments, wrote אֵת all the words of Yahuah, and confirmed the covenant with אֵת the blood, revealing Yahusha Ha’Mashiach as the Mediator of the covenant.
- He is the אֵ֖ת Elohai of Yashar’el: and there was under His feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in His clearness, whom Mosheh, Aharon, Nadav, Aviyhu, and the seventy elders saw, revealing Yahusha Ha’Mashiach as the visible manifestation of Yahuah, while Father Yahuah remained unseen up in the mount.
- He is Yahuah who commanded Mosheh to come up to Father Yahuah into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee אֶת tables of stone, and a Torah, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them because Mashiach and Father Yahuah are One.
- He is the אֶת revealed throughout Ha’Mishpatiym, appearing from the willing servant who loves his master, through the righteous judgments, the covenant promises, the Angel in whom is the Name of Father Yahuah, the covenant blood, the Elohai of Yashar’el seen by the elders, and the tables of stone, revealing Yahusha Ha’Mashiach as the Aleph and the Tav present throughout the covenant revelation of Father Yahuah.
Reflection & Self-Study Questions
- The Ivriy servant willingly chose to remain with his master out of love, having his ear pierced at the doorpost of his house as a sign of lifelong service in order to dwell in his master’s house forever.
Have I willingly surrendered my life to serve Yahuah out of love so that I can dwell in His house forever, or do I still seek my own way over His? - Yahuah’s judgments reveal that true righteousness is demonstrated through justice, mercy, and personal responsibility.
Do my decisions reflect the righteous judgments of Yahuah, or are they influenced more by my personal ambitions and the standards of the world? - Yahuah commanded His people to show kindness even to an enemy by returning lost possessions and helping lift a fallen burden.
How do I respond toward those who have wronged me?
Do my actions reflect the love Yahuah commands or do I enforce my own justice, vengence and retribution? - Yahuah repeatedly commanded His people to guard His Shabbaths and His mo’ediym (appointed feasts).
Do I delight in the times Yahuah has set apart, or have I allowed the holidays, traditions and priorities of the world to replace His mo’ediym? - Yahuah warned Yashar’el not to cut covenant with the nations or adopt their ways because they would become a snare.
Are there relationships, influences, traditions, or compromises in my life that are drawing me away from wholehearted obedience to Yahuah causing me to not love Father Yahuah with all of my heart? - Yahuah showed great concern for the poor, the widow, the fatherless, the servant, and the sojourner.
Do I reflect His compassion by caring for those who are vulnerable, overlooked, or in need? - Yahuah commanded His people to reject false reports, dishonest testimony, and following the majority into evil.
Am I committed to speaking truth and standing for righteousness even when it is unpopular or costly? - The children of Yashar’el answered with one voice, “All the words which Yahuah hath said will we do.”
Is my response to Yahuah’s Word marked by immediate obedience, or do I choose only the commands that are convenient for me? - Mosheh wrote all the words of Yahuah, and the covenant was confirmed with blood before the people drew near.
Do I recognize the seriousness of living in covenant with Yahuah, and am I faithfully walking according to the covenant He has established? - The elders of Yashar’el saw the Elohai of Yashar’el, while Mosheh alone was called higher into the mountain.
Am I continually seeking a deeper relationship with Yahuah through obedience, reverence, and a desire to draw nearer to His presence?