Beit Midrash

  • Torah Portion and Tanach
  • Shoftim
קטגוריה משנית
To dedicate this lesson
undefined
The theme of this week’s sedra, of course, is Justice. The need for courts & judges to be just & fair – not to take bribes, not to favor either the rich or the poor, to insist on the enforcement of their judgment, & more. The people, too, must act justly. They cannot offer a bribe, they must give honest, reliable testimony, & they must step forward if they detect that other witnesses are lying. Even the most privileged individuals, including the king, the Navi & the Kohen are not above the law.

Then there is the nation itself. In times of war, in societal decisions (such as marking boundaries) & in setting up refuge cities where manslaughters can be safe, the whole country has a high moral standard to uphold. The operative code word that encompasses all these many laws is "Tzedek, tzedek tirdof – justice, justice shall you pursue."

The commentators, of course, focus on the doubling of the word tzedek. Rashi says this means one should go to the most competent court (or rabbi!) rather than choose a decisor who they already know will agree with them.

Another explanation is that justice must be pursued with justice, because in the eyes of halacha, the end does not justify the means. In other words, "getting there" is no less important than the destination itself; one cannot perform a mitzvah or chesed by means of a sin.

This past week, there was yet another demonstration by handicapped individuals in Israel, who are seeking greater benefits from the government. This time, they decided to block the national rail line. As a result, train service came to a halt for several hours. It was Sunday, when hundreds of soldiers were returning after Shabbat to their bases. It was a particularly ill-advised action, as the army had declared a high alert due to tension in the North.

Previous demonstrations have blocked highways & the entrance to major cities, preventing patients from getting to hospitals, & even ruining several weddings because brides & grooms were stuck for hours in stalled traffic. Not only are these actions against the law; they are also a crime against society, demonstrating a complete lack of concern for others, from those who themselves claim that not enough concern is being shown to them!

Justice cannot be a "zero-sum" arrangement, whereby my gain invariably requires your loss. This, then, may be another reason why "tzedek" is repeated; Tzedek for me, but also tzedek for the other person in equal measure.

Only when justice is across the board – favoring no one over another - can a just society be maintained. Tziyon tipade ba’mishpat – Israel will be redeemed only through justice, said Navi Yeshayahu, for then everyone will benefit - at no one else’s expense.
fast navigation
Lessons
    undefined
    Torah Study

    What Is the Significance of the Number 40 in Jewish Tradition?

    Rabbi Stewart Weiss | Tevet 4 5782
    undefined
    Bemare Habazak - Rabbis Questions

    Playing Darts on Shabbat

    Can we play darts on Shabbat? The darts are classic ones that pierce the board’s surface; the board hangs loosely from a nail in the wall; in between uses, the darts often stay on the boar

    Rabbi Daniel Mann | Av 23 5781
    undefined
    Prayer

    Nefillat Apayim and the Prayers of Supplication

    Chapter Twenty One-Part One

    Chapter Twenty One-Part One

    Rabbi Eliezer Melamed | 5775
    undefined
    Prayer

    Birkot HaShachar – The Morning Blessings

    Chapter nine-part one

    Chapter nine-part one

    Rabbi Eliezer Melamed | 5775
    undefined
    Prayer

    ?How we should dress for Prayer

    Chapter five-part two

    Chapter five-part two

    Rabbi Eliezer Melamed | 5775
    undefined
    The Laws of Kashrut

    Keeping Kosher - Eating Out

    Rabbi David Sperling
    undefined
    Jewish Holidays

    The Twentieth of Sivan

    "I noticed that the back of my siddur contains a large section devoted to selichos for the 20th of Sivan, yet I have never davened in a shul that observed this day. What does this date commemorate?"

    Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff | Sivan 17 5780
    undefined
    Self Guided Learning

    Shir Hyichud on Yom Kippur

    Who wrote Shirei Yichud and What is it all about? An analysis on this Yom Kippur song.

    Rabbi Yoel Lieberman | 5573
    undefined
    Prayer

    The Significance of Tachanun

    Although the importance of the tefillah of Tachanun is underappreciated by many, it should not be; it is actually based on Moshe Rabbeinu’s successful entreating of Hashem on Har Sinai to spare Klal Yisrael from punishment after their grievous sins: “Va’esnapel lifnai Hashem (Devarim 9:18, 25) - And I threw myself down in prayer before G-d,” (Tur, Orach Chayim 131).

    Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff | 5772
    undefined
    Additional Lessons

    Chalav Yisrael and Powdered Milk

    "Friends of ours keep chalav Yisrael, but they will use foods made with non-chalav Yisrael powdered milk. But I know from my professional research that one can purchase powdered mare's (female horses) and camel's milk – they are specialty products that command a very high premium. So why is there any difference between using non-chalav Yisrael powdered milk, and non-chalav Yisrael fluid milk?"

    Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff | 5772
    undefined
    Parashat Hashavua

    Why Do Children Start With Vayikra?

    Rabbi Shaul Yisraeli zt"l | 5771
    undefined
    Re'e

    More Mitzvot in Erets Yisrael

    Parashat Re'e

    The special Mitsvot of Israel seem like a burden to some people; Rabeinu Chaim seems to agree with that statement; The Maharit's explanation.

    Rabbi Aharon Angstreich | 5763
את המידע הדפסתי באמצעות אתר yeshiva.org.il