Judges Within Every Soul

נסמך פרשה זו לג' רגלים

This parsha of the appointment of judges is placed adjacent to the section dealing with the three Regalim.

The Torah places the mitzvah of appointing judges right next to the festivals to teach that the two are connected.

דכמו הסנהדרין שהם עיני העדה על כל נפשות בנ"י

For just as the Sanhedrin are the eyes of the congregation, watching over all the souls of Bnei Yisrael,

The Sanhedrin serve as the watchful guiding eyes over all of Bnei Yisrael.

כמו כן הג' רגלים מאירים על כל ימי השנה

so too the three Regalim cast their light upon all the days of the year.

In the same way, the three festivals shine spiritual light that illuminates every day of the entire year.

לכן נידונים בהם בפסח על התבואה בעצרת על פירות אילן בחג על המים

It is for this reason that judgment is rendered during them: on Pesach concerning the grain, on Shavuos concerning the fruit of the tree, and on Sukkos concerning the water.

Because each festival is a time of judgment over a specific aspect of sustenance, Hashem renders judgment on grain at Pesach, fruit at Shavuos, and water at Sukkos.

וכמו כן במקום ירושלים ובהמ"ק שנק' מורי' שמשם הוראה יוצאה לכל העולם

And likewise this corresponds to the place of Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdash, which is called Moriah, for from there hora'ah, instruction, goes forth to the entire world.

Just as judgment flows from the festivals, Torah instruction flows out to the whole world from Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdash, called Moriah.

ובאמת אלה השופטים יש מזה בכל נפש ישראל בפרט שאין לך אדם שאין לו שעה ובשעה זו צריך לתקן כל הזמנים

And in truth, something of these judges exists within every soul of Yisrael in particular, for there is no person who does not have his hour, and in that hour he must set right all the times.

Every Jew has within him a power of judgment, for each person has his special hour, and in that hour he can rectify and elevate all his other times.

וכמו כן בנפש הנשמה דנה את הגוף והארת הנשמה אינו שוה בכל האברים

And so too within the soul itself, the neshamah judges the body, and the illumination of the neshamah is not equal in all the limbs.

Within a person, the neshamah judges the body, and its light does not shine equally through every limb.

שיש אבר שהנשמה תלוי' בו וכמו ה' חושים ואלה האיברים מנהיגים את כל הגוף ומצות שופטים תתן לך היא גם בכל נפש בפרט:

For there is a limb upon which the neshamah depends, such as the five senses, and these limbs direct the entire body; and thus the mitzvah of "Judges you shall appoint for yourself" applies within every individual soul as well.

Certain limbs, like the five senses, carry the neshamah's light and lead the whole body, so the command to appoint judges applies inwardly to every individual as well.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains why the mitzvah of appointing judges is placed beside the three Regalim. Just as the Sanhedrin are the eyes of the congregation watching over all of Bnei Yisrael, so the festivals illuminate every day of the year, which is why each Regel is a time of judgment over a particular form of sustenance, paralleling the hora'ah that streams to the world from Yerushalayim and Moriah. This same pattern lives within every Jew: each person has a special hour through which he must set right all his times. So too within the soul, the neshamah judges the body, its light resting especially upon certain leading limbs like the five senses, so that the command "Judges you shall appoint for yourself" speaks to the inner avodah of every individual.