Shoftim

In this parsha

Moshe commands the appointment of judges and officers in every city and the pursuit of justice without bribery or favoritism. He sets out the laws of a king, the portions of the Levites, and the prohibition of sorcery and divination, contrasting the false prophet with the true one. He designates cities of refuge for the accidental killer, requires two witnesses and punishes conspiring ones, and gives the laws of warfare — including exemptions from battle, sparing fruit trees, and the ritual of the broken-necked heifer for an unsolved murder.

Themes

• Inner judges and officers
• Endless pursuit of truth
• Wholeness before Hashem
• Bittul of the intellect
• The inner war
• Justice sustaining creation

Must-read teachings

1. 1Inner Judgment Sustains CreationIn the Midrash it is taught: If you pervert justice, know that you cause the world to tremble, for justice is one of its legs, and so on. The Sfas Emes opens with a Midrash teaching that perverting justice shakes the world, since justice is…תרל"ג
2. 2Judging the Heart's Gates"Judges... in all your gates" (Devarim 16:18). The piece opens with the verse commanding the appointment of judges in all your gates, taken as the springboard for the whole teaching. My grandfather and teacher, may his memory be a blessing,…תרל"ד
3. 3Pursuing Truth Forever"Shoftim v'shotrim titen lecha" — "Judges and officers you shall appoint for yourself" — is also a promise, that it lies within the power of every Jewish person to appoint over himself a judge and an officer. The verse commanding us to appo…תרל"ט
4. 4Wholehearted Faith Above WisdomMy grandfather, my teacher and master, of blessed memory, said that a Jew must be wholehearted (tamim). The Sfas Emes opens with his grandfather's teaching that a Jew's essential trait must be wholeheartedness, simple and complete faith in …תרמ"ז - תרמ"ח - תרמ"ט
5. 5Wholeness Through Divine WordIn the Midrash Tanchuma: "You shall be wholehearted [tamim]..." (Devarim 18:13), "for these nations [that you are dispossessing listen to soothsayers and diviners]..." (Devarim 18:14), "but as for you, Hashem your Elokim has not given you s…תרמ"ז - תרמ"ח - תרמ"ט
6. 6Body And Neshamah In WarOn the pasuk, "When you go out to war... a horse and a chariot..." (Devarim 20:1), the Torah adds, "...for Hashem your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Mitzrayim." The Torah's command to go out to war is immediately ti…תרנ"ד
7. 7Rising Above NatureOn the pasuk, "Be wholehearted [tamim] with Hashem your God" (Devarim 18:13). The Sfas Emes opens with the Torah's command to be tamim, wholehearted, with Hashem. It is written in the parsha of milah, which was given to our father Avraham, …תרנ"ד
8. 8Tribes Justice And EnduranceIn the Midrash: Do not be scornful of judgment, for it is one of the pillars of the world; upon three things the world stands — upon din (justice), emes (truth), and shalom (peace). The Sfas Emes opens with the Midrash's warning not to beli…תרנ"ז