 |
|
 |
Parshat Shoftim
2005
Humble Kings and Supreme Courts
Parshat Shoftim ("judges") discusses in extensive detail the inner workings of the Jewish judicial system. Beyond speaking of prophets, priests, monarchs and judges, the text also delineates checks and balances among all these entities. More importantly, each one of these entities is imbued with holiness and Godliness, as the refrain of "that God has chosen" (Deuteronomy 17:8) repeats many times throughout our parsha. However, it is not enough for kings or judges to be holy. They must be able to transfer a sense of this sacred task to other people. In their own ways, judges, priests, kings and prophets transmit and teach Torah to the masses. By teaching Torah, these people become respected and are constantly reminded that they were chosen by God for their respective tasks.
Torah is the wellspring of the Jewish people and is critical to daily Jewish living. While we often speak of Torah as an all-encompassing concept of Jewish civilization, I would like to spend some time delving into the meaning of the word Torah. While sometimes Torah means "five books of Moses," most of the time, the more precise translation would be "instruction" or "teaching." Our parsha uses this word three times within one chapter. In 17: 11, the people of Israel are instructed to listen to the judges and "act in accordance with the Torah that you shall be instructed and the judgment that shall be handed down to you… you shall not sway from what they (the judges) tell you left or right." In 17:18, the king is told to "write for himself a copy of this Torah in scroll form from in front of the levitical priests." Furthermore, the king is implored (17:19) to "let it remain with him and he shall read it so as to teach (others) to revere God, to observe all the words of this Torah and all of the laws." In each instance, Torah should be translated as "instruction," or more precisely, "teaching." The role of the judge is to read the instructions and laws carefully and to execute just decisions based on these instructions. The role of the king is to base himself on the teachings of Torah. It is not enough for the king to simply read the laws, edicts and statutes. He must make a copy for himself. But it is not enough to write and then place this writing in an archive. The Torah must travel with him both physically and figuratively. He must constantly study it, review it and keep it close to his heart at all times. By studying these "instructions" and living a life based on these "teachings," the king keeps himself humble and serves as a "check" on his own power.
Hebrew words can often be broken down to their three-letter shoresh (root). The root of Yud Resh Heh appears in several words in the Hebrew language. The shoresh serves as a link among seemingly disjointed words. The words moreh (teacher), horeh (parent) and Torah all have the same root. What is the unifying factor? All three of these words have something to do with education. It is not a mere coincidence that the words for "teacher" and "parent" have the same root as Torah. It is the role of a parent to teach a child the mores and customs of the Jewish people. It is the role of a teacher to make the Torah real in the lives of students and to allow pupils to take ownership of their own emerging Jewish renaissance. In the Hillel world, Hillel professionals (and students as well) serve as teachers and in loco parentis (in place of parents). Hillel becomes the home away from home for students. Pirke Avot 6:3 emphasizes this point that everyone can be a teacher in stating that "whoever learns from his friend a chapter, a law, a verse or even one letter, one must regard that person with respect." We are all teachers as well as simultaneously being students. And, indeed, one of the words for teacher (melamed) has the same root as talmid (student).
A key message of Parshat Shoftim is that no one is too busy to learn Torah. Love of learning and love of being instructed, guided, goaded and taught by our Torah starts at the top. If the king must constantly learn Torah in order not to become haughty, certainly this is a desirable trait to emulate. Comparatively, Hillel professionals and Jews everywhere and in every walk of life have an obligation to study Torah every day. That may entail a few minutes looking over the portion of the book. I would encourage people to study with others. Oftentimes, studying with a partner clarifies issues and leads you to learn while you are teaching. Studying even a short Jewish text can lead to further discussions, further readings and ultimately to personally significant Jewish interactions and experiences. Certainly Torah encompasses all of Judaism. Instead of focusing on the forest that is Torah, let us take the time to appreciate the individual trees of the Torah's instructions and teachings. Let us all strive to carry Torah with us not only in our studies but in our day-to-day interactions as well. After all, Torah is "a tree of life to all those who grasp onto it."
Prepared by Akiva D. Roth, Director, Drew University Hillel
Learn More
Additional commentaries and text studies on Shoftim at MyJewishLearning.com.
|
 |
|
 |