The civil laws in our Torah regulate how we act with one another.
They must have been of immediate, practical use, even in the desert.
They dealt with slavery, mayhem, and stealing, among other sins.
Even more basic are the foundational principals of justice – some explicit and some implicit, but clear in their meaning.
The Torah is clear about equality.
No one is above the law.
Individuals of all stations in life and society must be treated equally.
It does not matter if they are of high rank or not.
It is of no concern whether they are men, women or small children.
The law is equal to all of them.
–Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz