This week’s parshah is Mishpatim, which translates as “laws,” specifically, civil law.
It discusses ownership, surety, deposits, damages, theft and an entire litany of reasons for civil disputes and strife. All one needs to live a quiet life is to take proper care of their property and avoid harming another person or item. Seems easy, no?
But, unfortunately, it’s not. Actually, it’s far from it.
Reb Noson writes that the main reason for any material loss or damage is due to a lack of Daas (knowledge or awareness) about an item. If we were to concentrate on what is going on around us, we would not expose ourselves to damages. But we are always moving from item to item, thing to thing, and thus we remove our awareness from those things. In that moment, the item becomes, in a sense, ownerless(!)—since there is no thought of it, it becomes unguarded and subject to breaking, theft or damage.
Reb Noson thus writes that people should pray—and pray often—to attain Daas/awareness. It’s not as if we will be aware of all things at all times. That simply won’t happen. It can’t happen. No human being can be aware of everything all the time. But Reb Noson is teaching that a person can elevate his Daas to a higher level, and thus, awareness itself has very beneficial advantages.
Many people live in a self-made vacuum. They are aware of certain things and tend to view all that happens from within their own vantage point. But there are many things happening simultaneously. Having Daas/knowledge helps a person recognize the benefits of what is taking place now, vis-à-vis the potential damage that may arise from the things surrounding him.
And, of course, the most important Daas is the knowledge that HaShem is with us at all times. The closer one draws to HaShem, the greater his Daas—the recognition that HaShem is engineering life and granting him the security of knowing that ALL is under His supervision at all times. Thus, even the damages or harm that befall a person occur by Divine decree, and the awareness of HaShem grows in his mind. He has increased Daas.
And Rebbe Nachman teaches that Shabbat is equated with Daas—so have a great Shabbos!
