The Four Types of Abuse in Our Daily Activities
Four Prototypes The Torah reading in Parshat Mishpatim is the basis of the most fundamental principles of civil law till this very day: Liability, damages, personal injury, criminal, labor relations and financial transactions. Beyond the astounding insights in the laws of liability, lies another dimension of relevance within these laws: Their personal application. Based on several verses in this week’s portion (Exodus 21-22), the Talmudic tractate Baba Kama, outlines “four prototypes of damages – the animal, the pit, the destroyer and the fire.” On a basic level, surface level, these prototypes are the primary categories of torts, intentional or negligent acts which injure another person. But the soul of these categories defines four prototypes of psychological, emotional and spiritual abuse, each with many derivatives: 1. Active, indiscriminate aggression – “the ox.” 2. Negligence...