Mishpatim: Keep Each Other Warm

Argyle Nail Art MishpatimHave you ever wanted to just curl up in your blanket? Among Parashat Mishpatim’s many laws that regulate our interactions with one another is the following: “If you take your neighbor’s garment as security, until sunset you shall return it to him, for it is his only covering; it is his garment for his skin. With what else shall he lie? (Shemot 22:25-26)” The Torah provides us with a scenario in which a lender gave a loan to a person in need and kept that person’s blanket as a security for the loan. Even if the person in need did not have a chance to pay back the loan, the lender is required to return the blanket to him by nightfall.

  • Why does the Torah require the lender to return the blanket by the evening?
  • Do you think that the Torah places a significance on the blanket beyond its essential function for warmth? Why or why not?

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