The Parsha of Mishpatim/ laws begins with the law of the Jewish slave. The Jewish slave is quite unique in that he isn’t much of a slave at all. He must indeed serve his master with loyalty, but he in turn is treated in royal fashion.

Our sages teach for example, “If there is only one pillow available, the master must give it to the slave.” The slave must be provided for with utmost sensitivity. It is no wonder, therefore, that when the six years of servitude are over, the slave is described as saying, “I love my master, my wife, and my children. I do not wish to go free.”

The story of the Jewish slave is a fascinating one. But why is it the starting point of the section called “Laws” which follow the Ten Commandments. What message is contained which makes it so critical a starting point in the laws of Torah?

Jewish tradition maintains that in addition to the simple meaning of the text of Torah [in this case, the Jewish slave] there are also additional messages contained between the lines. By choosing certain words, or making certain comparisons, the Torah can address numerous other issues without openly addressing them.

Picture yourself living in the time of the Exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Torah. You very well might have wondered, “What was really accomplished by the redemption?” After all, you used to wake up early to serve the Egyptian taskmasters; now you wake up early to say your morning prayers. You used to have to obey your Egyptian taskmasters even in inclement weather; now you would observe mitzvos, even in inclement weather. Although you would not dare verbalize it, you might be wondering, “What exactly was accomplished by this grand redemption?”

Which brings us to the topic of redemption, and what freedom really means to you. For example, when a teenager spends the summer on the living room couch, eating food at his convenience, one could certainly say that he is “free”. But one could not say that his is an enviable freedom. Freedom without focus or responsibility is actually a recipe for frustration.

Every person, as they journey their way through life, has the opportunity to retain their freedom or choose to focus it in the way of responsibility. When a person accepts a family into their life, as when a person accepts religion into their life, there is a moment when they may wonder if they have just become the proverbial “Jewish slave” of the Parsha, relinquishing freedom for what is merely a different type of servitude.

Perhaps this is why the Torah presents the Jewish slave as the first law. Here is the case of servitude of Torah. Indeed he must work and he must take responsibility. Yet, he is treated with love and compassion and he is blessed in a big way. After a bit of time he says, “I love my master, my wife, and my children. I do not want to be freed of this wonderful status.”

A number of years ago I met a man who described himself as a former “beach bum.” Just ten years ago he was living the life of unadulterated freedom. Today he is a happy husband and the proud father to a wonderful family.
What saved him from drifting aimlessly and changed his life’s direction for good is that he accepted a Shabbos invite, and ended up connecting with some really wonderful people. He was introduced to the idea that freedom isn’t an end of its own. Freedom is only a beginning.

One who accepts upon himself the Jewish form of servitude will at first wonder if they have just given up their freedom. But with time they will see that that the Jewish form of servitude is one of blessing. They will declare, “I love my Master, and my wife, and my children. I would not want to be freed of my wonderful status.”

The story is told that when the bird was first created it found its wings to be most cumbersome. The bird complained to G-d, “Why have you placed this terrible responsibility upon me to always carry these two limbs upon my sides?”

It was only after G-d showed the bird how to use the wings to fly that the bird realized that he was not enslaved to the wings. Instead, if properly appreciated, the wings would enable him to soar.

Our sages tell us that mitzvos are compared to the wings of a bird. At first glance they seem cumbersome. Carrying them around with us seems to enslave us to them. But as time goes on we realize that this type of servitude is really a blessing that brings out the best in us.

Freedom to the Jew is not like a teenage couch potato, nor is it like the freedom of a beach bum. Freedom of the Jew is like the freedom of royalty, a freedom which is coupled with responsibility. It is this focused freedom which was the purpose of the Exodus, and it is this type of freedom that allows us to soar…and be free… like a bird.