Parshas Shof'tim 5766

Commentary by Rabbi Ephraim Nisenbaum

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There are many laws that were intended exclusively for the leaders of the Jewish people. Because these individuals were granted special powers, they needed special guidelines to prevent them from misusing their positions and from becoming arrogant.

The judges, for example, were obligated to follow the majority ruling of the court. If a judge defies and rules against a decision of the court, regardless of the caliber of his scholarship, he is liable to be put to death. This uncharacteristically severe punishment was necessary to prevent the undermining of the court’s authority by other great leaders. This would ensure that the court remain a central authoritative body, whose decisions would be binding upon the entire nation.

The king too was subject to special obligations and prohibitions. In contrast to the rest of the world, the Jewish king was not allowed to indulge in physical or material excesses, such as women, money or horses. The Torah warns that these excesses will inevitably lead the king’s heart astray.

The king was also required to write his own copy of the Torah that would be carried on his person at all times. The constant reading of this Torah was meant to remind him to make G-d a part of all of his activities and decisions, and not to let his authority get to his head.

Although a great value is attached to the Jewish leader, this in no way diminishes the value of the common person. The Torah describes an incident where a person was found murdered, and it is not known who the murderer is. The elders of the city nearest the location where the corpse was found were obligated to bring a unique sacrifice, seeking atonement. The sacrifice involved killing a young calf on a piece of virgin land, which could never be sown. The killing of an animal which could leave no offspring, on a piece of land which could bear no fruits, and the necessity of atonement for an entire city, sharply brings into focus the tragedy of even an isolated murder, where a human being has been robbed of his future.

The value of the individual may also be seen from another fact in this portion. Before going out to war, the people were instructed that anyone who had recently built a home, planted a vineyard, or had betrothed a woman, and had not yet had the opportunity to enjoy his new wife, home, or grapes, was to return home. Because war carries the risk of losing one’s life, the Torah felt that these individuals deserved the right to be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. This sensitivity to the individual is the hallmark of the Torah.

“...You shall be whole (in your faith) before G-d ...” (Deut. 18:13)

There was a righteous woman in a little European shtetl with nine children. She conceived again, but the doctors recommended that due to her weak constitution she should abort the child. The woman clarified that there was no direct danger to her life and she decided to trust in G-d and allow the pregnancy to continue. She bore a healthy son.

In the following years of the Holocaust, eight of the children perished. Only the youngest son and a sister survived. That young son grew to become Rav Elazar Shach, the leader of Torah Jewry in Israel. Rav Shach would relate this story to emphasize that a person must do his best to fulfill the will of G-d, but leave the outcome to G-d.

Did You Know...

One should try to be more meticulous in his or her mitzvah observance during the month of Elul, in preparation for the High Holidays. Psalm 27 is recited after prayers, both in the morning and evening. (Ashkenazic custom adds it after the evening service, and Sefardic custom adds it after the afternoon service.) Many people try to complete the entire Book of Psalms twice during Elul, and a third time before Yom Kippur.

Some have their tefillin and mezuzos checked during these days to ensure that they have not become disqualified. (Often, due to exposure to weather or age, the letters may become cracked or smudged, disqualifying their usage.)

If not done previously, one should also have his or her clothing checked for Shaatnez, the prohibited mixture of wool and linen.