This week's reading is entitled "laws" and that pretty much summarizes what it's about. Commonly called the Book of the Covenant, Exodus 21-23 comprises the oldest collection of laws within the Bible. Penalties are either death - for crimes beyond the pale - or monetary damages: "And should men quarrel and a man strike his fellow man with stone or with fist and he does not die but falls ill, if he gets up and goes about outside on his cane, the striker shall be clear, only he shall pay for his loss of time, and he shall surely stand good for his cure" (Exodus 21:18-19), with the advantage to society that the victim receives compensation and the villain has an opportunity to generate the income to cover it.