- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Shoftim
1156
Jewish police are still something of a rarity in the Jewish psyche. The Germans used them in the ghettoes of destruction that they established. The police themselves were eventually also liquidated by the Germans but they were widely viewed by the limited number of survivors of the ghettoes as being reprehensible people. The police in Israel were originally viewed as an heroic group, part of the ethos and culture of the "new Jew" fostered by the early secular Zionist pioneers. Over the past few years some of this original luster has dimmed due to police misconduct, corruption and inefficiency. Petty personal squabbling among the leaders of the police has also led to the tarnishing of the police image. The police claim to be underpaid and overworked which certainly may be true. The Torah’s admonition of creating an effective police force nonetheless remains in place. The public perception of the police is as important many times as is the actual effectiveness of the police itself. A lack of public trust in police behavior and probity endangers the entire balanced structure of a law abiding society. As such the Torah’s declaration in this week’s parsha regarding the judiciary and the police remains intensely relevant in our time and place as well. There is a special prayer in the Amidah for the welfare of our judiciary. The police are also subliminally included in that prayer.
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Rabbi Moshe Leib Halberstadt | 3 Elul 5784
Shoftim
Rabbi Berel Wein | Av 26 5780
The Torah Portion and the Unique Month of Elul
Rabbi Yosef Nave | Elul 1 5783

Be Tamim; Avoid Miracles and Dispute
Rabbi Yossef Carmel | Elul 1 5780

Rachel Imeinu: The Mother Who Never Stops
Rabbi Shimon Cohen | Kislev 15 5782

What are the special prayers of Pesach?
Rabbi Stewart Weiss | Nissan 5783

The Jewish Escort Service
Rabbi Stewart Weiss | Elul 5 5775

What Happens When Purim Falls on Shabbos?
Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff | Adar 13 5781

CLEANING FOR PESACH: BETWEEN 'FEELING' & 'BEING' RELIGIOUS
Rabbi Ari Shvat | Nisan 5785

P'ninat Mishpat: Unsuccessful Transfer of Yeshiva – part IV
based on ruling 82138 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
Beit Din Eretz Hemda - Gazit | Nisan 5784
