Shoftim 2025/5785

(18) You shall appoint judges and officers for yourself at all your gates, in all the tribes that your God יהוה is giving you, and they shall judge the people with just judgment. (19) You shall not judge unfairly: you shall show no partiality; you shall not take bribes, for bribes blind the eyes of the discerning and upset the plea of the just. (20) Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that your God יהוה is giving you.

(21) You shall also seek out, from among all the people, capable individuals who fear God — trustworthy individuals who spurn ill-gotten gain. Set these over them as chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and (22) let them judge the people at all times. Have them bring every major dispute to you, but let them decide every minor dispute themselves. Make it easier for yourself by letting them share the burden with you.

(1) A psalm of Asaph.
God stands in the divine assembly; among the divine beings He pronounces judgment. (2) How long will you judge perversely, showing favor to the wicked? Selah. (3) Judge the wretched and the orphan, vindicate the lowly and the poor, (4) rescue the wretched and the needy; save them from the hand of the wicked.(5) They neither know nor understand, they go about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth totter. (6) I had taken you for divine beings, sons of the Most High, all of you; (7) but you shall die as men do, fall like any prince. (8) Arise, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are Your possession.

Deuteronomy 16,18. “Judges and officers you ‎shall appoint in your “gates”‎‏ ‏‎ who will judge the people ‎fairly.” Behold, God sits in ‎judgment of the people of Israel on New Year’s Day through great compassion and lovingkindness. However, it an awakening from below is still needed for the aspect of compassion of above.

When we carry ourselves with lovingkindess and we learn [to see the] merits of all the people in Israel, so as to judge with the benefit of the doubt, through this we awaken the aspect of lovingkindness.

Through this, also above the same aspect is awakened, and so all Jews receive the benefit of the doubt.

And so, a person who awakens the higher gate to open the gates of lovingkindness is able to bring out blessing on all Jews.

[eg beyond just ourselves]

[M: Goes deeper on favourably judging others - not because it's nice but it opens the gates.]

And this is what is written: 'judges and officers you shall appoint in all your gates' - meaning, that you, yourself, should fix and ready the judgment of Above through your own gates, that are the gates that you create with your actions.

And this is 'and they will judge the people with a righteous judgment' - meaning, every person will learn to conduct themselves to judge others, all the people, with a righteous judgment, to teach tzedakah and merit regarding them all.

And doing so a person awakens the gate of Above, and through this the person comes out as righteous in the judgment of Above, since “With the measure that a person measures, [so] will they be measured” (Megillah 12b)

[M: Measure for measure]

[M: I want to open the gates so I'm going to be as kind as possible to others..]

Add source: Sha'arei Binah, Sha'arei Chochmah

Judges [shoftim] and Officers etc - we explain this through what is written in the Gemarah "the righteous are ruled [shoftan] by their inclination to good etc." (Berakhot 61b). The explanation is that the way of the righteous is that they have (internally) a rebuker that rebukes them on every action they take, it rebukes them on their faces and shows them that even in their good deeds how they are lacking, and how they did not do them appropriately (lit. according to the halakha) so as to do them for the sake of the Creator Praised Be, and this is "the impulse to do good rules them".

This is not what happens to the evil people, to whom all is upside down, since all their deeds are good in their eyes, and even the evil deeds they do the impulse to do evil shows them that they did a good thing, and this is "the impulse to do evil rules them."

"Middling people are ruled by both", as the Tanya says "like us, middling". [M: Alter Rebbe/Tanya 1745-1812]

That is, a person needs to strengthen oneself with these two ways, to always dispute internally regarding one's deeds, seeing oneself all the time as lacking in one's work (avodah, also worship) to the Holy One, and that one has not fulfilled one's obligation.

As a person does one of the mitzvot of God, one needs to understand and comprehend very well that one did not do it with all the requirements regarding clearness (lucidity) and merit as fitting for Hashem Praised Be, and then one will see oneself as humble and despised in one's eyes.

And yet, one should not, God forbid, hold oneself to be evil, because in that case the person won't be able to have heart to do a mitzvah or [study] Torah or pray, and what would this be? A kosher and direct action? [Of course not]

A person in that case] despairs and says that they are not capable to do this. We find that one needs to strengthen these two levels (internally) together so they will be perfect within oneself, as the rabbis of blessed memory say "with all your hearts - with your two inclinations", and this is "like us, middling" and "middlings are ruled by both."

"You must not bend etc and not recognize a face" (Deuteronomy 16:20) because it is written "you shall not have other gods before Me [lit. in front of My face]" (Exodus 20:3) and one can explain it like this: behold, the Blessed Creator is called "face of every thing", since every thing has a piece of divinity that makes it present and gives it vitality, and if, God forbid, a person thinks a extraneous thought, or looks at something evil, then one turns away and distances one's face from it. And the extraneous thoughts and the evil sightings and evil passing thoughts are called "other gods" and this is "you shall not have other gods etc" and this is [also] "you must not recognize faces" that is to say, that you will not sin and not think outside thoughts, so that you won't distance the face and become estranged from yourself. "You shall take no bribe because the bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, etc" (Deuteronomy 16:20), and at a first glance don't our eyes see many and many receivers of bribe, and they are healthy, and strong, and they die peacefully? But the issue is that the righteous person who is dedicated to Hashem in truth merits high levels in the eyes of His intellect, that is, the higher Wisdom. This is "the eyes of Hashem are on the righteous" (Psalms 34:16), meaning, that the Holy One of Blessing gives merit to the righteous in the eyes of the Higher Intellect. And this is [also how you can understand] "you shall not take etc because the bribe blinds the eyes of the wise etc": that the person will not merit in the eyes of His intellect in the Higher Wisdom. "And perverts the words of the righteous" that is, the righteous, who speak in holiness, are perverted by the receiver of bribes, that is, not only that that person will not merit Higher Wisdom, but also if the righteous want to rebuke them with their words and return that person to the good, their words will not help that person, since all their words will appear to that person as perverted.

Deuteronomy 16,18. “Judges and officers you ‎shall appoint in your “gates”‎‏ ‏‎ who will judge the people ‎fairly.” Behold, God sits in ‎judgment of the people of Israel on New Year’s Day through great compassion and lovingkindness. However, it an awakening from below is still needed for the aspect of compassion of above. When we carry ourselves with lovingkindess and we learn [to see the] merits of all the people in Israel, so as to judge with the benefit of the doubt, through this we awaken the aspect of lovingkindness[M: we train ourselves to see the good in others]. Through this, also above the same aspect is awakened, and so all Jews receive the benefit of the doubt. And so, a person who awakens the higher gate to open the gates of lovingkindness is able to bring out blessing on all Jews. And this is what is written: 'judges and officers you shall appoint in all your gates' - meaning, that you, yourself, should fix and ready the judgment of Above through your own gates, that are the gates that you create with your actions. And this is 'and they will judge the people with a righteous judgment' - meaning, every person will learn to conduct themselves to judge others, all the people, with a righteous judgment, to teach tzedakah and merit regarding them all. And doing so a person awakens the gate of Above, and through this the person comes out as righteous in the judgment of Above, since “With the measure that a person measures, [so] will they be measured” (Megillah 12b).

“Judges and officers you shall place for yourself .…” (Devarim, 16:18)A man must consider his ways in all his actions. This is why it then says (in verse 20), “so that you shall live,” for nothing will be lost when man acts with the spirit of justice, (with a reckoning of his actions.)

This is discussed in the Holy Zohar (Bamidbar, 178a) on the verse (in Kohellet 9:10), “… there is no action, no account, no knowledge, no reckoning in sheol (the grave, or purgatory) ...” That is, an action done with careful consideration will not fall into sheol.

In the beginning of this week’s Parsha we find six warnings corresponding to the “six sides on which thought depends.” They are 1) Judges and officers2) Do not plant an asheira tree near the Altar3) Do not erect a monument as was practiced by idolaters4) Justice, justice, you shall pursue5) Do not sacrifice a blemished animal, and 6) The rebellious elder.[Media = comes from Dimayon, Medes - ancient Greeks]

“Judges and Officers .…” (Devarim, 16:18)This is as it is written (Yesahya, 45:6), “Thus spoke God the King of Israel and its Redeemer … and besides Me there is no God.” This means that all exalted states come only from God, and what is said, “Judges and officers you shall place for yourself” means that a man must subordinate himself before the Judges whom God shall elevate. “You shall give for yourself,” means that you should subdue yourself before them in the hidden places in your heart. Thus it is with the order of subjects in the Parsha, the discussion of the judges or scholars preceding the discussion of the king, the sage coming before the king even though the king is greater than the sage. According to the protocol in Jewish law, we find that the Sanhedrin (the Torah scholars) appoints the king (Tosefot Sanhedrin 83), then the high priest, and afterwards the prophet. Yet once appointed, the king takes precedence over the scholar, as all that comes out of the mouth of the king are the words of God.This is as the Gemara explains (Shabbat, 56a), that when Uriah the Hitti said something seemingly inconsequential (“my master Yoav,” disrespecting David’s kingship), he was branded an inciter to rebellion, which shovws that even though it seemed to be mundane chatter, it was from God. The high priest feels in his understanding how something is God’s will. With the prophet, at the time when he says, “Thus spoke the Lord,” all must heed his words, yet when he speaks only from his own knowledge he has the status of a sage.“Judges” hints at Moshe Rabeynu, for he was a judge and not a king (Gemara Zevachim, 102a). God said to Moshe at the burning bush, “do not approach, remove your shoes .…” (Shemot, 3:5), as if to say that he was only a king for his own generation. (See Devarim 33:5, “there was a king in Yeshurun”). For this reason he does not receive the title of king. The discussion of the king (Devarim, 17:14) hints at King Shlomo, and these two were the paramount of all generations, Moshe was the paramount of all judges, and Shlomo the greatest of all kings. The development of events that Moshe Rabeynu wrote in Parshat Hazinu, King Shlomo also wrote in the Shir haShirim on a different matter. And there is a difference between them, for they both wrote of the course of events from the beginning to the end of all generations, and at present the Holy One, blessed be He, agrees with Moshe Rabeynu, because the section of judges precedes the section of kings. Yet in the days to come, with the resurrection of the dead, the Holy One, blessed be He, will make it clear that both of them are true. Amok. amok.. [Hagahot Peretz])

“Judges .…”This means that a man needs justice in his heart to understand what is permitted and what is forbidden. “Officers,” meaning with the will that when he understands that this is forbidden and still has the desire to transgress, then he need to concentrate his willpower to force himself, and force himself to follow after his understanding. How so? If he can abandon the transgression owing to his love of God, very well, and if not, he may contemplate that he will receive some reward in this world for his abstention. “In all your gates,” meaning desires; “for your tribes,” meaning all the diverging views.

“Justice, justice, shall you pursue, that you may live and inherit the land .…” (Devarim, 16:20)This means to be scrupulous with regard to the mitzvot. “Shall you pursue,” (“you” voiced in the singular,) means you specifically, and not to become angry with you fellow man who is not so scrupulous. “That you may live” means that by means of this way of conduct you will merit understanding of when to reprove your fellow man.” - Rabbi Moshe Lainer, shlita, Rebbe of Radzin, Jerusalem)

“Judges and officers shall you appoint for yourselves in all your gates .…” (Devarim, 16:18)This is as it is written (Yeshayahu, 33:22), “God is our judge, God is our lawgiver, God is our king, He will redeem us.” “God is our judge,” this is what God illuminates man’s intellect to understand which path would most benefit him to follow. Even though at the beginning his heart is not drawn after God’s will, anyhow God shines His light into him and he will understand in his intellect, and this is “God is our judge.” “God is our lawgiver” means that God carves the desire into the heart of man. Then he begins to ask for advice on how to conduct himself according to the Torah, for he understands that there is no other path before him, even seeing that in this world no path would benefit him save the way of the Torah. “God is our king” means that God conducts the will of man according to His will, may it be blessed, even without man realizing it.When one first enters into the Torah it seems to him that he does so in order to attain an understanding of the sublime. Then afterwards he realizes that without the Torah he may not even reconcile the most simple matters. “He will redeem us,” means that in the end God will show man that all the ways He dealt with him were only for his good. He shows him that man did not remove himself from God’s will even when he acted without thinking, for God will immediately rule over all the powers that are not in the control of man, like sight and hearing. On this it is said (Bamidbar, 23:22), “He has the power of the horned beast,” meaning, God alone will control the powers that are beyond the control of man.

“… give yourself .…” (Devarim, 16:18)“Give yourself” in the depth of the consciousness of man, according to what he shall understand based on his wisdom, to this he must go on and add a further dimension of understanding. For with God there is a depth far deeper than his understanding, as it says in the Gemara (Shabbat, 10a), “every judge who makes a judgment that is true to the deepest level of truth is made a partner with God in the work of creation.” There are judgments that are true but not on all levels of truth. For example, one who denies the crime and is deemed exempt (because of a lack of evidence, a lack of reliable witnesses, and the like), though it could be that though he denied everything he was in reality guilty, yet (to the limit of the judge’s knowledge) he was innocent. This is a true judgment, yet because he was guilty the judgment was not true on all levels. Here it must be understood that it is not in the natural ability of man to know this, and only one who has assistance from the Divine will not fall into a judgment that is not true in its deepest form.An example is the “cane of Rava.” “At that moment the matter was revealed that the debt had been settled,” and this could not be known by man’s knowledge, but only with Divine assistance. Therefore it is forbidden to bring judgments to Gentile courts, because even though they may judge true judgments, they do not have the special Divine assistance to judge on the deepest level of truth. As we find in the Gemara of Rosh Hashana, that even though Raban Gamliel called him “my teacher in wisdom,” because the judgment was as Rabbi Yehoshua had said, still God had agreed with Rabban Gamliel, for he was the Nasi (leader) from the edict of God. In saying, “my student because you have accepted my word,” he meant that in the understanding of the heart he was the one who is aligned to the depth of the knowledge of God.

“Judges and officers …”These are the details of the law, as mentioned in Pirkei Avot. It is very difficult for one to fulfill them, for “one can only uphold the Torah if he has failed in it.” In order to understand with wisdom, the truth in justice must be clean regarding the four elements found in man. (The four statements at the beginning of this Parsha hint at the following four elements.) “Do not pervert justice,” this means that one must not possess any partiality. For this, one must be stripped of desire, which corresponds to the element of water, as mentioned in several places. “Do not favor,” this is the element of earth, as we find in the Gemara (Sanhedrin, 17b), “he hid his face in the ground [out of fear],” meaning that he was heavy (like the earth), without the “lightness” of alacrity to say to the plaintiff, “stand on your feet!” “Do not accept a bribe” is the element of air, for it makes him comfortable, like the lungs, which bring the air down to cool the heart and give it rest. This is so even if he judges in truth, for as for lies it is said, “Do not pervert justice.” “Justice, Justice,” this is the element of fire, which destroys the other elements and does not let them spread and become powerful. “That you may live,” by means of this you will come to the source of life, “and you shall inherit the land,” meaning by means of the constriction (following all the above) you will merit increase.

“Judges and officers shall you place for yourselves in all your gates that Hashem your God gives to you, for your tribes, and you shall judge to people judgments or righteousness.” (Devarim, 16:18)“Your gates” means to make judges in general and in particular, in every state and every city, and in every person’s soul. “Your gates” are the seven gates in the soul by which a man receives goodness: the two eyes, the two ears, the two nostrils, and the mouth. A man must make a great reckoning for every gate through which he receives goodness, and in a place where man influences others he must make an even greater reckoning. “For your tribes” means the twelve powers in man with which he can influence others. Among them there are revealed powers, and among them are hidden powers. The two arms, the two legs, and the torso are the revealed powers. The liver, gallbladder, spleen, intestines, and two kidneys are the hidden powers. The liver, which gives way to anger, must incur judgment in order to be angry only if it is God’s will. The spleen, which laughs, must incur judgment in order not to deride, and so for all of them.

Our Sages, of blessed memory, hinted at this when they said, “The Holy One, blessed is He, unites a good thought to the deed.”One would have expected them to say that the Torah regards the good thought as if it had been put into practice.The explanation, however, is that it is the revealed fear and love in the heart that are clothed in the act of the commandments, giving them vitality to soar on high, inasmuch as the heart is also corporeal, as the other parts of the body which are the instruments of the action, except that it is internal and their source of vitality; therefore it can clothe itself in their act, to be their “wings,” elevating them.

The Gemara further teaches: The Holy One, Blessed be He, links a good thought to an action, as it is stated: “Then they that feared the Lord spoke one with the other, and the Lord listened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for them that fear the Lord, and that think upon His name” (Malachi 3:16). The Gemara explains: What is the meaning of the phrase “and that think upon His name”? Rav Asi said: Even if a person intended to perform a mitzva but due to circumstances beyond his control he did not perform it, the verse ascribes him credit as if he performed the mitzva, as he is among those that think upon His name.