EXOD510 Do not go up by steps onto the Altar. To ensure that one will not take large strides to reach the top of the Altar, stairs must not be the means for ascent. Rather, there is [a] ramp, so that one ascends with small steps, gradually and with awe. Key concept: To impress upon our hearts the holiness of the Altar--a place where no type of frivolity or other commonplace behavior can be tolerated. Although the Altar’s stones are inanimate and cannot feel or sense anything, including embarrassment, we are commanded to act with dignity when we tread upon them, for the Torah wants our hearts to appreciate the Altar’s sanctity and importance, and our actions influence our hearts.

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EXOD522 Observe the laws of the Hebrew servant. Having made us His Chosen People, Hashem wants us to purify our deeds and to crown ourselves with refined character traits. By doing so, we will merit His blessings. Of all the desirable character traits, kindness and mercy are particularly important. So that we cultivate these traits, Hashem commands us to behave with kindness and mercy towards those who are subservient to us.

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EXOD527 Observe the laws of marrying a Hebrew maidservant. If the father of a Jewish girl is so poor that he sells her as a maidservant, Hashem shows great mercy on the girl and her father. He commands the buyer to marry the girl so that she does not remain a maidservant. Alternatively, the buyer must give the maidservant to his son in marriage. Otherwise, before she finishes her term of labor under the buyer’s care, he must help her to return to her father's house by allowing her redemption. All of these laws reflect the Holy One’s kindness towards His works and His great concern for unfortunate individuals.

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EXOD529 Observe the laws of marrying a Hebrew maidservant. If a Jew acquires a Hebrew maidservant, he has a mitzvah to help her to return to the house of her father. He helps by cooperating when she, her father or some other member of her family comes to redeem her. On the basis of the original expected term of service and knowing the price that he paid her father for her, he calculates the worth of each year's work. Knowing the length of time that she had worked for him, he subtracts the worth of that time from the price that he paid for her and accepts the difference as the price of her redemption. He may not demand that she continue to work for him for the full term of the original transaction. Neither may he demand a higher redemption price in an attempt to profit as she goes free from him. Either type of behavior would show that he has an evil heart. Jews are expected to behave with mercy, dignity and refinement, so it is fitting for them to show kindness, especially towards their workers, even if the term of service had been only one day.

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EXOD530 He who acquires a Hebrew maidservant is forbidden to sell her. Hashem wants to bestow good upon His nation so He commands us to behave with pity towards one another. Feelings of pity are beloved to Him.

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EXOD545 Jewish courts must administer capital punishment by means of strangulation. Were crimes to go unpunished, lawlessness would reign and people would kill each other. Why a murderer is executed by strangulation: In most cases a murderer tries to kill his victim quickly so that death is immediate. For this reason, the Torah prescribes strangulation as the means of execution, for of the four methods of capital punishment, strangulation is the quickest and least painful. If violation of a sin gives pleasure to the offender and the sin carries the death penalty, the Torah prescribed slower and more painful methods of capital punishment, such as stoning or burning.

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EXOD553 One must not strike his father or mother, even if the parent is raining blows on him. If someone strikes either of his parents and causes a wound that bleeds, he is subject to the death penalty. Anyone who raises his hand to strike a blow to either of his parents must be severely punished, for through the Holy One’s Will his parents brought him into the world and bestowed so much good upon him.

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EXOD579 Jewish courts must administer capital punishment by means of the sword. Violators of certain Torah commandments must be put to death by means of the sword. For example, if a man smites his servant and kills him, it is a mitzvah for the court to put the killer to death by means of the sword. Such is the law even if the murdered servant was a Canaanite. Hashem wants to rid the Jewish nation of all traces of evil and cruelty. Therefore, if someone is so overcome by anger that he smites and kills a person, Hashem commands the courts to put the killer to death by means of the sword. Those who are empowered to execute the killer nullify a positive commandment if they do not do so. Their punishment is great, for their negligence creates many problems for society.

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EXOD604 Do not eat (or derive any benefit) from a killer ox that has been sentenced to death by an authorized court of law (beis din). Key concept: To impress upon us that whenever tragedy strikes, the cause for it must be shunned and disdained, even if the incident was accidental. An animal lacks intellect and self-control, but if it kills a human being it becomes disgusting in the eyes of Hashem, so we must distance ourselves from it. Reflection upon this mitzvah will cause us to be careful about our own actions. We will make sure that nothing that we do will ever cause harm or injury to anyone.

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EXOD621 In cases where the thief was trapped and could not escape, it is assumed that (in order to escape) he was ready to kill the person that he was robbing. Therefore, if the person being robbed kills the thief he is not guilty of murder [for he acted in self-defense].

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