"Mishpatim — Part IV — Responsibility and Moral Accountability"

4.4 — Application: Owning the Consequences of Power

Why responsibility defines moral adulthood

Power is one of the Torah’s central concerns. Not only political power or royal authority, but the quiet, everyday power that ordinary people possess: the power of ownership, speech, influence, and decision. Parshas Mishpatim returns again and again to this theme. It does not simply regulate harm. It teaches that wherever there is power, there must be responsibility.

The Torah states:

[שמות כ״א:כ״ח — “וְכִי־יִגַּח שׁוֹר אֶת־אִישׁ אוֹ אֶת־אִשָּׁה וָמֵת…”
“When an ox gores a man or a woman and they die…”]

The case seems technical. An animal causes damage. The court must determine liability. Yet beneath the legal surface lies a deeper moral principle: ownership carries consequence. The ox belongs to someone. Its behavior is not morally neutral. If it harms another, the owner must answer.

The Torah does not permit a person to say, “It wasn’t me.” If the ox was known to be dangerous, the owner bears responsibility. Power, even indirect power, binds a person to the outcomes it produces.

The Hidden Power of Everyday Life

Most people do not think of themselves as powerful. They are not kings, judges, or generals. Yet the Torah’s legal system assumes that every person has spheres of influence:

• A homeowner controls the safety of his property.
• An employer shapes the dignity of his workers.
• A parent shapes the character of a child.
• A speaker shapes the emotional world of others.

In each case, the Torah sees not only rights, but consequences. Mishpatim trains a person to recognize that every domain of control carries moral weight.

The goring ox becomes a symbol. It represents all the forces a person owns or directs: money, tools, words, employees, technology, and authority. If they cause harm, the owner cannot step aside. He must respond.

Rabbi Sacks: Freedom Means Responsibility

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks often emphasized that the Torah’s concept of freedom is inseparable from responsibility. The Exodus does not create a people without masters. It creates a people who serve Hashem—and therefore must live under moral law.

In the modern world, freedom is often defined as the absence of consequences: the ability to act without restraint or obligation. The Torah offers a different vision. Freedom is not the right to do whatever one wants. It is the privilege of being entrusted with responsibility.

A covenantal society is not built on rights alone. It is built on people who accept the burden of their actions. Without that acceptance, law becomes meaningless and community collapses.

The laws of Mishpatim therefore follow immediately after Sinai. Revelation inspires. Law disciplines. Together, they produce a society where freedom does not destroy responsibility.

Rav Avigdor Miller: Responsibility as Spiritual Maturity

Rav Avigdor Miller taught that the path to greatness begins with accepting responsibility for the small details of life. Many people imagine spiritual growth as dramatic inspiration or lofty thought. But the Torah begins somewhere quieter: with accountability.

A person who blames others for every problem, who excuses his behavior, or who refuses to face consequences cannot grow. Growth begins when a person says, “This is my responsibility.”

The laws of damages in Mishpatim reflect this outlook:

• If your animal harms, you must pay.
• If your property causes injury, you must repair it.
• If your negligence causes loss, you must accept the consequences.

The Torah does not frame this as punishment. It frames it as moral reality. A responsible person becomes trustworthy. A trustworthy person becomes upright. And uprightness is the foundation of holiness.

Responsibility as the Mark of Adulthood

Childhood is defined by dependence. A child’s mistakes are absorbed by others. Parents, teachers, and guardians carry the consequences. Adulthood begins when a person carries his own outcomes.

The Torah’s legal system treats responsibility as the definition of maturity:

• You are responsible for your animals.
• You are responsible for your property.
• You are responsible for your speech.
• You are responsible for your influence.

To live under Torah law is to accept that nothing in your sphere of control is morally neutral. Everything you own, say, or direct carries consequences.

This is not a burden meant to crush the individual. It is a framework meant to elevate him. Responsibility transforms power from a danger into a path toward dignity.

Modern Escapes from Responsibility

Contemporary culture often offers subtle ways to avoid accountability:

• Blaming systems instead of personal choices.
• Excusing harmful speech as “just words.”
• Treating business decisions as morally neutral.
• Claiming victimhood to avoid obligation.

The Torah rejects these escapes. Mishpatim insists that even indirect harm carries consequences. Ownership is never passive. Influence is never neutral.

A society where people deny responsibility becomes unstable. Trust erodes. Justice disappears. Relationships fracture. The covenantal vision requires the opposite: people who accept consequences willingly.

Application for Today — Owning the Consequences of Power

To live Mishpatim today is to recognize the forms of power we hold and accept responsibility for them. Every person has domains of influence. The Torah asks us to treat them seriously.

A practical translation can include:

• Taking responsibility for the atmosphere we create at home, at work, and online.
• Owning the consequences of our words, especially when they harm trust or dignity.
• Accepting financial and professional responsibility instead of shifting blame.
• Viewing authority—whether as a parent, manager, teacher, or community member—as a sacred trust rather than a personal privilege.

When people accept responsibility, relationships strengthen, trust grows, and society becomes stable. When responsibility is avoided, even great systems collapse.

The Torah’s vision of adulthood is simple but demanding: power must be matched by accountability.

📖 Sources

• Full sources available on the Mitzvah Minute Parshas Mishpatim page under insights and commentaries.