Mishpatim

 בס״ד

Mishpatim

He, who understood only harsh servitude, 

had now witnessed awesome wonders -

plagues, a splitting sea, pillars of fire

and cloud.

The unearthly materialization

 of coriander frost on desert sands,

rushing water from scorched stone,

pristine garments unwithered by time.

The terrifying voice of G-d,

 careening down from

a mountain crowned in flame,

enwrapped in impenetrable cloud.

And yet, the life-long slave

gaped in humbled disbelief,

at that first mishpat, 

that eleventh commandment,

which taught him, what it means to be,

a master.