This week’s Parshah deals with the establishment of the institutions government in a Jewish state. Judges, law enforcement officers, monarchs and religious officials are all provided for. It is interesting to note than in respect of the last two, restrictions are placed on aspects of their private behaviour. A king is not allowed to amass wealth, wives or horses, while the Priests or Levites are not allowed to own land. Each of these prohibitions is in some way counterintuitive and against normal social expectations. A king is normally regarded as needing to be wealthy in order to be independent of economic pressure. Indeed this is also one of the original qualifications for a judge or Rabbi. Having lots of wives or horses also tends to increase his prestige. Yet the Torah prohibits it. These things can cause a monarch to put his own personal interest above that of the public and engage in nefarious activities, as in the case of Ahab and Naboth’s vineyard. Priests may be expected to own land. This can give them independence from government pressure. Yet again the Torah forbids it. While the monasteries of the middle ages had great power and freedom of action because of their landed wealth, it was a mixed blessing. It caused monarchs to be envious and seek to destroy them, as the cases of Tudor England or the destruction of the Templars underscores. Yet there may be a deeper reason for the Torah’s prohibitions. Having land, wealth or women, can effect the way that you are viewed by others. It can define who you are. This the Torah wants to avoid. A king should be known for his personality and policies not his harem and stable. The Levites should be renowned for their learning and service, not for their country estates. These positions are so important that the public perception of them should not be distorted by their private possessions or actions. Yet this is precisely what has happened to our society with its cult of celebrity. People are known for their fashion not their fundraising; for their parties not their politics. This leads in turn to the grotesque situation where football transfer fees are more than the cost of running a school, let alone the salaries of those that work there. Our values are skewed because our image of those we look up to is skewed. We need to learn the lesson of the sensible prohibitions found in this Parshah. Being famous should mean less money, women and land; not more.
ALIYAH BY ALIYAH SYNOPSIS
Rishon The need to establish a judicial system; including a supreme court.
Sheni The institution of Monarchy.
Shelishi The rights and duties of the Levites.
Revi’i The prohibition of sorcery
Chamishi The institution of prophecy. The law of manslaughter.
Shishi The rules of evidence and warfare.
Shevi’i The laws of siege warfare and ceremony of expiation for unsolved murder.
Haftorah Isaiah: 51;12-52;12: G-d Himself will comfort Zion.
Sidra Statistics
Parshat Shoftim
· has 97 verses;
· is the 5th in Deuteronomy, 48th in the Torah
· 7th longest in Deuteronomy, 37th longest in the Torah
· has 27 pos + 14 neg = 41 mitzvot.
