Mishpatim, after the narrative path we’ve experienced so far in Shemot, can feel dizzying.  
Until now, Shemot has seemed like a straightforward story: slavery, Exodus, and revelation.  It is a narrative that unfolds in a basically clear order, with a clear str¡ucture.  It is a story that can be read, if not precisely like any other book, at least in much the same way.