This week’s parsha, Mishpatim, comes right after the drama of Sinai. Thunder. Lightning. Revelation.

And what are the first laws we get?

Protect the vulnerable.

Regulate unequal relationships.

Do not oppress the stranger.

Do not take advantage of the powerless.

The Torah doesn’t begin its legal system with power – it begins with protection. Power must be restrained, exploitation must be limited, and dignity must be protected.

Again and again, the text insists that justice is not abstract. It is lived out in how we treat those with less leverage.

This framing feels especially relevant right now. In moments when power feels concentrated and vulnerable communities feel exposed, we are reminded that holiness is not about control. It is about responsibility. LGBTQ Jewish youth are often navigating spaces where they hold less power. The Torah’s values are not ambiguous about what we are meant to do in moments like that: We protect. We uplift. We build systems that ensure dignity.

Revelation is powerful – but protection is sacred. And the moral strength of any community is measured by how it protects the people who need it most.