Mishpatim #3- Intention Killing?

Pasuk Yud Daled in Perek Kaf Aleph states :

וְכִֽי־יָזִ֥ד

“But if a man plots delibritaley”

Rashi asks:

Why is it written as delibritaley?

He answers by first giving examples of people not trying to kill someone, yet still trying to punish them in a way

A teacher disciplining his student

A father who strikes his son

An unintentional killer

A doctor who kills his patient (ie. via surgery)

By giving these examples, he is answering the question by saying that a man who DELIBERATELY kills someone, deserves to die, rather than someone with different intentions. It use this language to show what the law is ( that if you have the intention of killing someone, you deserve death because of your intent).

Mishpatim #2- Eye for an Eye?

In this week's parsha, when discussing monetary damages, it is written in Perek 21 Pasuk 25:

עַ֚יִן תַּ֣חַת עַ֔יִן שֵׁ֖ן תַּ֣חַת שֵׁ֑ן יָ֚ד תַּ֣חַת יָ֔ד רֶ֖גֶל תַּ֥חַת רָֽגֶל

eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

Rashi explains this Pasuk by saying “If one blinded the eye of his fellow-man he has to pay him the value of his eye, i. e. he pays him how much his value would be diminished if he were to be sold as a slave in the market...but it does not mean the actual cutting off of the offender’s limb”

What are other explanations for this easily misinterpreted Pasuk? Why is it put here?

Mishpatim #1- Sukkot?

In Parshat Mishpatim, the celebration of the Shalosh Regalim, of Pesach, Succot, and Shavuot is commanded. As it says in כג :יד-יז

"שָׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים, תָּחֹג לִי בַּשָּׁנָה
אֶת-חַג הַמַּצּוֹת, תִּשְׁמֹר--שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תֹּאכַל מַצּוֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִךָ לְמוֹעֵד חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב, כִּי-בוֹ יָצָאתָ מִמִּצְרָיִם; וְלֹא-יֵרָאוּ פָנַי, רֵיקָם.
וְחַג הַקָּצִיר בִּכּוּרֵי מַעֲשֶׂיךָ, אֲשֶׁר תִּזְרַע בַּשָּׂדֶה; וְחַג הָאָסִף בְּצֵאת הַשָּׁנָה, בְּאָסְפְּךָ אֶת-מַעֲשֶׂיךָ מִן-הַשָּׂדֶה.
שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים, בַּשָּׁנָה--יֵרָאֶה, כָּל-זְכוּרְךָ, אֶל-פְּנֵי, הָאָדֹן יְהוָה".

There is something about this commandment seems troubling. We know and recognize that  these are the big three holidays we must celebrate, but are all three equally important?

From the pasuk, it seems like Hashem gave us a reason for Pesach and Shavuot, but He did not mention anything about Succot. It is bizarre that the Pasuk doesn't mention any details or explanations for Succot but mentions for the other two holidays? Why is that?

Rav Soloveitchik explains that The Shalosh Regalim all share the same Kedushat HaYom. Furthermore, they are not totally independent chagim, but rather they make an integrated series. We recognizes the Regalim, not as three separate holidays, but rather as a unit.

What other source can explain why succot was not given any detail? Do you think all of the shalosh regalim equally important, or is one greater than the rest?

Va'era #3- Sealed Lips

Moshe said to Hashem that וַֽאֲנִ֖י עֲרַ֥ל שְׂפָתָֽיִם- “My lips are closed” (6:12)

Moshe was having a hard time because Bnei Yisroel was not listening to Moshe and Moshe thought if Bnei Yisroel are not listening, how much more so... Pharoah won't listen to me.  

Rashi hints that the reason Moshe says that his lips are closed may be because he had a speech impediment and it was hard of Bnei Yisroel to understand and listen.

Q: Why did Moshe say this to Hashem? What happened as a result? Where else do we see speech impacting leadership?

Va'era #2- Hitting the Frog(s)

The Torah says in Perek Chet that at first Egypt was struck with the Plague of the Frog

בוַיֵּ֤ט אַֽהֲרֹן֙ אֶת־יָד֔וֹ עַ֖ל מֵימֵ֣י מִצְרָ֑יִם וַתַּ֨עַל֙ הַצּפַרְדֵּ֔עַ וַתְּכַ֖ס אֶת־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם: 

"And Aaron stretched forth his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frog came  up and covered the land of Egypt."

Yet later we see that Egypt is filled with many frogs:

הוַיֹּ֨אמֶר משֶׁ֣ה לְפַרְעֹה֘ הִתְפָּאֵ֣ר עָלַי֒ לְמָתַ֣י | אַעְתִּ֣יר לְךָ֗ וְלַֽעֲבָדֶ֨יךָ֙ וּלְעַמְּךָ֔ לְהַכְרִית֙ הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֔ים מִמְּךָ֖ וּמִבָּתֶּ֑י רַ֥ק בַּיְאֹ֖ר תִּשָּׁאַֽרְנָה And Moses said to Pharaoh, "Boast [of your superiority] over me. For when shall I entreat for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and from your houses, [that] they should remain only in the Nile? " - Rashi says וַתַּעַל הַצְפַרְדֵע  literally, and the frog came up. It was one frog, and they [the Egyptians] hit it, and it split into many swarms of frogs   : Question Why would the Egyptians who were extremely intelligent do something so foolish? Similarly why did the people not get the  hint when it came to the other plagues and make more of an effort to complain to pharaoh

In the other plagues- did the Egyptians want to let the Jews go but Paro stopped them?

Va'era #1- I am Hashem

In pasuk alef perek vav the Pshat says - 

וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלָ֖יו אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה

What did Hashem mean when he said “I am the lord”?  Why did he say this?  What was he trying to tell Moshe? Was this a harsh or reasonable response? 

Sforno comments on this and says when Hashem says 'אני ה, he means that he is the one who maintains the entire universe all alone. That he has not only called it into existence, but has also maintained it, and there is no other prime cause which exercises any independent influence on any part of his universe.   He basically is clarifying, this is God is the creator of the universe, and the one who maintains it.