Mike began to panic. Sweat formed on his brow and his whole body began to quiver. He knew he was in serious trouble as he gripped the steering wheel with all his might and pushed the pedal to the floor. At a hundred and thirty miles an hour he was playing for keeps; there was no turning back. Mike was well aware that if he didn’t get there in time, this would be the last trip he would ever take. The road took a sharp turn and Mike turned the wheel with all his might. The car in front of him swerved out of his way and off the highway dropping a thousand feet into the abyss below. Mike heard a strange noise and he knew he was in trouble; his engine was failing. "Engine: Machine for converting energy into motion or mechanical work. The energy is usually supplied in form of a chemical fuel, such as oil or gasoline, steam, or electricity, and the mechanical work is most commonly delivered in the form of rotary motion of a shaft. Engines are usually classified according to the form of energy they utilize, as steam, compressed air, and gasoline; the type of motion of their principal parts".
     Klal Yisroel had been enslaved in Egypt for over two centuries. Then, G-d sent His emissary, Moshe to tell Pharaoh to free them. When Pharaoh refused, G-d wreaked havoc on Egypt by bringing ten powerful plagues on the country. Finally Klal Yisroel ascended from the land of their servitude and three million strong marched into the desolate desert. But Pharaoh wasn’t done. He gathered his army for one final confrontation. The sea split for Klal Yisroel and ended up as the pit of death for the Egyptian armies. The young nation sang a song of praise to G-d at the foot of the sea and then prepared for their sojourn through the desert. Bitter water became sweet water, Manna began to fall from the heavens, Klal Yisroel vanquished the Amalakite forces and finally accepted the Torah.
     All of a sudden, right in the middle of the continuous excitement the Torah stops to teach us the laws of goring oxen, stolen property, and witchcraft. Parshas Mishpatim seems to be very out of place. The multitude of laws presented to Klal Yisroel compose the crux of the Talmudic tractates of Bava Kamma, Bava Metzia, Sanhedrin, Kesubos, Kiddushin, and Shavuos. How do these mundane laws involving everyday scenarios compare with splitting seas and food falling from heaven? The Torah’s narrative seems to be very comparable to the above story; right in the middle of an exciting story, the Torah stops and relates the most common laws of monetary responsibility and decency. What subliminal lesson is the Torah teaching us here? Often we hear amazing stories of Divine assistance and miraculous salvation in the most hopeless situations. We hear stories of situations that appear to be punishing and painful that end up being the root of a person’s survival. Though these stories demonstrate a window of Divine Providence and remind us that G-d is constantly watching over us, there is a shortcoming to these tales. Often we become so caught up in these incredible stories that we forget that our everyday lives are also conducted by G-d.
    If a man was drowning at sea and as he was gasping for air with his last bit of strength a hook came out of heaven and lifted him onto dry land, there is no doubt that he would rejoice and relate to everyone how G-d saved him. But when we wake up each morning and open our eyes to the magnificent world we are a part of, we generally don’t appreciate the miracle of arising from our slumber and we are not overwhelmed with gratitude to G-d. Parshas Mishaptim is read right in the middle of all the hype of miracles and salvation to teach us an invaluable lesson. It is not sufficient to be a servant of Hashem when one is in the spotlight and seated at the dais with distinguished personalities. Being a true servant of Hashem is recognized by the manner of decency one treats his maid and servant with, how one cares for someone else’s possessions and how careful one is with his own property not to cause harm or pain to others. As much as the exodus from Egypt is an eternal component in the life of a Jew, so are the ‘mundane’ laws of Parshas Mishpatim part and parcel of a Jew’s life. A Jew must also remember that not only does G-d protect us when it’s clearly recognizable, but He also guides our lives through our mundane daily affairs.
    I once heard someone eloquently explain this idea with the following story: A woman who lived in the tri-state area was offered a job in Los Angeles, California. The position would drastically alter her life and she would have to move cross-country. On the day of her flight she made sure to leave herself ample time to arrive at the airport. But as luck would have it everything went wrong and after a long bout with traffic, she ran into the airport just in time to see her plane take off. Some time later the dejected woman was informed that as the plane neared L.A. the pilot radioed that he was having some difficulty with the landing gear. The control tower guided him with step-by-step instructions how to bypass the machine malfunction and the plane landed safely in L.A.
    To this day that woman has no idea why she missed that flight and why she lost that job opportunity. However that story is no less Divine Providence than the amazing stories we hear so often. At times we are privy to understand how and why thing transpire. But other times we never find out why things happen. Still we must be aware that there is a Divine rhyme and reason for everything that occurs and when we arrive in the world of truth, we will understand why it occurred.
    After the flood was finally over and Noach emerged from the Ark unscathed, the pasuk (Bereishis 9:20) states, "And Noach, the man of the earth, profaned himself and planted a vineyard." Noach was originally called (6:9), "A righteous man, perfect in his generations; Noach walked with G-d." What happened to the great Noach? How did he debase himself from ‘a man of G-d’ to ‘a man of the earth’? Originally Noach was ‘the star of the show.’ The world was full of deceit and evil and Noach stood alone as an island of purity and holiness. G-d spoke to him alone and he did G-d’s bidding while the rest of the world scoffed and mocked him. But after the flood was over, Noach was no longer in the spotlight and G-d was no longer speaking to him directly. So the great Noach lost some of his greatness and he was deemed ‘a man of the earth.’
    One’s challenge in life is to be G-dly not only in the presence of others and when people are watching, but even when he is alone and no one is there to praise his actions. When Shlomo Hamelech describes the woman of valor (Mishley 31) he states, "Kamu vaneha vayashruha ba’alah vayihalelah- Her children arise to praise her; her husband to laud her." Why is this the praise of a great woman; wouldn’t she be greater if those who deal with her in her daily affairs praised her? We would judge a person by what his friends and fellow employees say about him and not his own family. The truth is that to know the real essence of a person he shouldn’t be studied when he is outside his house and aware that he is being watched. Rather one should study how he acts in the privacy of his own home, when his guard is down and he freely expresses himself. Thus a woman of valor can be recognized if her children and her husband, who see her in the dead of night and in the most difficult of situations, still praise and laud her.
    The rapidly approaching miracle of Purim is also related to the aforementioned idea. One living at the time of the unfolding of those events could easily write off the entire story as a bunch of mere coincidences. The Queen defied the King’s command so she was executed. The most worthy maiden to be the successor happened to be Jewish. She was smart enough not to disclose her identity and when the enemy tried to destroy her nation she ratted to the king and the enemy was obliterated. The miracle of Purim was a tapestry of hidden events and only one who appreciates the meaning of Divine Providence can appreciate the beauty of the succession of miracles that led to the downfall of Haman and the salvation of Klal Yisroel.
    The Gemarah (Pesachim 49a) states, "A man should always be prepared to sell all he owns and marry the daughter of a Torah scholar. Such a union bears an analogy to the combination of the grapes of a vine with the grapes of another vine ("invei hagefen b’invei hagefen") which is something fine and acceptable." [Such wine is particularly flavorful because the product of one vine enhances and compliments the product of the other.] Why did Chazal compare the union of a proper marriage to grapes, as opposed to any other fruit? Generally, the blessing recited on a fruit is, ‘Boruch atah Hashem Boray p’ree ha’aytz- Blessed are You Hashem Who creates the fruit of the tree." If one were to squeeze out the juice from that fruit and drink its contents, the blessing recited would be, "Boruch atah Hashem shehakol n’hyeh b’dvaro- Blessed are You Hashem that all was created based on Your word." In the hierarchy of blessings, the blessing of ‘Shehakol’ is lower, while the blessing ‘P’ree ha’aytz’ is much higher. Therefore when a fruit is eaten, it has a greater blessing than would be recited on its juice. There is one exception to this rule. While the blessing recited on grapes is the usual, ‘Borei p’ree ha’aytz,’ if one squeezes out the juice from the grape the blessing recited is, "Borei p’ree hagefen- Who creates the fruit of the vine." Chazal recognize this blessing, recited on grape juice and wine, as being the loftiest blessing one can recite on food.
    At a wedding there is much exterior beauty to be seen. The Kallah is bedecked in a stunning gown with all of her friends and family surrounding her. A band plays in the corner of a magnificent and crowded hall with tables set with lavish food and stunning flowers. Smiles spread across every face as good wishes are exchanged among the guests. At times unfortunately, the joy and radiance of the marriage reaches its peak on the wedding night. After the lights of the wedding hall dim and life resumes its course, the real marriage commences. We pray that the essence of the marriage, i.e. when the husband and wife are behind closed doors, will be more elevated that the whole ‘show’ of the wedding and all of its preliminaries. Therefore Chazal compare a praiseworthy wedding to grapes whose exterior merits the reciting of a great blessing but whose interior merits an even greater blessing. This is the great blessing we give the Chosson and Kallah; that the wedding with all of its glamour be only the beginning of the true inner beauty that is yet to come in their marriage.
    Two years ago, on the Shabbos of Parshas Mishpatim, I wished a special Mazal Tov to my brother Yitzie upon his aufruf. Last year I wished a special Mazal Tov to my brother Yaakov Meir upon his Bar Mitzvah. Both the joy of a Bar Mitzvah and of a wedding have a direct connection to this great idea of Parshas Mishpatim. True greatness is not achieved at the time of glory and fanfare. The real success of these distinct simchos can only be seen later. When I look at the beautiful and harmonious marriage that my brother and sister-in-law share, along with the blessing of my nephew Avrohom Yosef, then I know their marriage was and is b’h a success. When I am able to partake in the joy of my brother Yaakov’s siyum Mishnayos in memory of my grandfather a few months ago, then I know his Bar Mitzvah was a success. This year Hashem, in His infinite kindness, has blessed my family with yet another joyous occasion on the Shabbos of Parshas Mishpatim, i.e. my afruf. May Hashem grant my Kallah and me the ability to integrate this great lesson into our marriage and the rest of our lives. May we always feel the guiding hand of Hashem in the seemingly mundane aspects of life. May we become G-dly people even in the dark of night and in the cold of winter. May our marriage too be one that people can look back at many years from now and say it was truly ‘a marriage of Parshas Mishaptim’, one that can be deemed, "Invei hagefen b’invbei hagefen davar na’eh umiskabel."