Overview
of the Weekly Reading: Shoftim To
be read on 2 Elul 5766 (August 26) Torah:
Deut. 16:18-21:9
Haftorah: Isaiah 51:12-52:12 (4th of the
Seven Haftorahs of Consolation )
Pirkei
Avot: Chapter 1 in Israel (Chapter 6 outside of Israel)
Shoftim is
the 5th Reading out of 11 in Deut. and 48th overall,
and 27th out of 54 in overall length.
Shoftim
opens with the command to appoint judges and officers to uphold justice. The Jews
are warned not to make idolatrous trees, pillars, or offer blemished animals,
and are told the penalties of idolatry. The Jews are commanded to set up a Supreme
Court and a monarch. The Levites are not to have territorial shares of the Land,
but they receive portions of the Jews' sacrifices, meat, produce, and shearings.
Laws regarding prophets, both false and true, are given. Also relayed are rules
of cities of refuge, havens for the escaped unintentional murderer. An intentional
murderer, however, receives the death penalty. Additional laws discussed are the
prohibition against moving boundaries to steal land, or to testify falsely, who
is not drafted to the army, who may or may not be taken captive, and a warning
not to cut down fruit trees when waging siege on a city. Shoftim concludes with
laws concerning a corpse of an unknown murdered individual found in the field:
The elders of the closest city must decapitate a female calf over running water
to atone for innocent blood shed in their midst.
FROM
THE MASTERS OF KABBALA (K:4866/Shoftim)
From the holy
Zohar, teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
(Z:4866/Shoftim)
What causes the collapse of this wicked one [the Evil Inclination]? It
is achieved through "Adam", whose numerical value is 45, which is the
same numerical value as the name of G-d when spelled out yud-vav-dalet, hei-alef,
vav-alef-vav, hei-alef. For
the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section on our KabbalaOnline
site. * * * * * From
the holy Ari, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Safed
(A:4866/Shoftim)
The reason why malchut of Abba emanates
three radiances and malchut of Imma only two is because [the latter] does not
possess a third place where its radiance could collide and produce a third radiance.
. For
the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section on our KabbalaOnline
site. * * * * * From
Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz
(S:4866/Shoftim)
When we love G-d, there will be peace
between G-d and us, and war among our (His) enemies. This is why the Torah orders
us not to fear our enemies.
For
the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section on our KabbalaOnline
site.
FROM
THE CHASSIDIC REBBES (V:4866/Shoftim) "Whole-hearted
you shall be with your G-d" Deut. 18:13
One has to make sure that
one's soul is sincere and whole and not "lacking a limb". Just as there
are 613 part of the body (248 limbs and 365 sinews), so does the soul have 613
"parts". The perfection of these limbs depends on the keeping of the
613 mitzvot of the Torah.
(Likutei Torah) translated from Sichat
HaShavuah 142
A
MYSTICAL CHASSIDIC DISCOURSE from
the Chabad Master series, produced by Rabbi
Yosef Marcus for www.ascentofsafed.com
and www.kabbalaonline.org
MOSHIACH
THIS WEEK (M:4866/Shoftim)
"You
must set a king over yourselves." [17:15]
The Torah emphasizes
the importance of appointing a king. Various commentators explain why. Among them,
Maimonides says that: "The king's heart is the heart of the entire Jewish
people." Since the main function of a king is to lead, the analogy should
have been to the brain. But there are two types of rulers of the Jewish people:
a melech and a nasi, a king and a leader. A king may be compared
to the heart and the nasi to the brain. In many periods of Jewish history
one person was king and another was nasi. But Moses, the first Redeemer,
was both king and nasi, combining within himself the qualities of both.
Mashiach, the last Redeemer, will also be both king and nasi.
[From
the Global Chabad-Lubavitch Resource Center-- www.Shluchim.org.]
An
essay from Rabbi Shaul Yosef Leiter, director of Ascent
(for a free weekly email subscription, click
here) (W:4866/Shoftim)
Over 3,300 year ago, on the 17th day
of Tamuz, 40 days after the giving of the Torah, Moshe came down from Mt. Sinai
to find some of the Jewish people worshipping the Golden Calf. After breaking
the tablets that contained the Ten Commandments, destroying the idol, and executing
the worshippers, Moshe re-ascended Mt. Sinai to ask for Divine forgiveness for
the Jewish nation. Another 40 days later, on Rosh Chodesh Elul, Moshe's
prayers were accepted. Moshe came down a third time to tell the people the good
news, and returned again to Mt. Sinai for a final 40 days of grace and special
connection to G-d ending with Moshe's final descent with the second tablets on
Yom Kippur. Each subsequent year, during the 40 days from Rosh Chodesh
Elul through Yom Kippur, time and history repeat themselves on a higher spiritual
level-the Jewish people again spiritually enter 40 days of divine grace and good
will. G-d decreed in His holy Torah that at this highpoint of the year, is also
the annual period of divine judgment, when it is decided whether a person will
live or die, prosper and succeed or fail and falter. Every Jew is expected to
remind him or herself of the positive spiritual environment they are entering
and to take advantage of it by examining their every action, stopping the negative
and increasing in the positive. If we do so, we can be certain to be written in
the book of life for a good and sweet year. This week's Torah portion,
Shoftim is almost always read immediately before the beginning of the month of
Elul. The portion opens, "Judges and police should be placed at all of your
gates…" is a reference to how a person is expected to behave. "Your
gates" can refer to the first roots of a person's behavior ('gate' meaning
an entranceway or beginning). "Judges and police" refer to our judging
ourselves and policing our actions that they be appropriate. Everything begins
with our thoughts and intentions. Rosh Chodesh Elul-this Thursday and Friday-is
about putting our brains back in charge of our behavior. As we stand on
the eve of the new month of Elul, inaugurating the thirty day preparation period
before the High Holidays, it is important to focus on the whole power of thought,
as mentioned above. Chassidim for centuries have been saying, 'Think good [thoughts]
and good things will happen'. There is a very beautiful discourse from
the Alter Rebbe that focuses on a specific connected area. "Making an effort
to pray in a Chassidic synagogue is very important, even if the minyan
is already over, because the actual physical place can make an impact on the soul.
Since there is a custom that Chassidim think over mystical concepts before and
during their prayers, these thoughts remain in the synagogue, and never dissipate.
For a person who is spiritually open, these thoughts can attach themselves to
that person who is also praying and learning there with honest devotion. Sadly
the same is true of impure thoughts: they also remain in place, whether in the
synagogue, home or workplace. Spiritually sensitive individuals, especially those
very serious about serving G-d, are sensitive to these thoughts." There
is a story about one of the great Chassidim of the Chabad community 200 year ago,
Rabbi Hillel of Paritch. A student of his built a special guest room for Rabbi
Hillel in his home, and made a big effort not to let anyone else into the room.
A long time went by and finally Rabbi Hillel came to stay. As he prepared himself
to pray the afternoon prayers, he all of a sudden said, "There are unclean
thoughts in this room." The home owner was shocked, especially after all
of his efforts to keep the room empty. Only afterwards did he remember that a
long time before they were unexpectedly forced to take a Russian army officer
as a boarder for a short time. The thoughts he had in the room remained and Rabbi
Hillel was sensitive to them. May we all 'think good and it will be good'
as we prepare the coming good and sweet New Year! Shabbat Shalom, Shaul
P.S. Please also read my weekly Shabbat Law, below.
(for a free weekly email subscription, click
here)
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