Join our weekly Peninim on the Torah list!

  • Reset
Category

Back to Home -> Shoftim ->


Home -> 5756 -> Shoftim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5756

“Righteousness, righteousness shall you pursue.” (16:20)

The only virtue which the Torah demands that we pursue is righteousness – the equivalent of emes, truth. On the other hand, sheker, falsehood, is the only negative quality from which the Torah admonishes us to distance ourselves. The Torah in Shemos 23:7 says, ejr, rea rcsn, “From a false word you shall distance yourselves.” The Chidushei Ha’Rim infers a profound lesson regarding the compelling importance in our lives of turning away from falsehood and turning toward truth. The signature of Hashem is emes. Thus, every Jew should strive to be like G-d – by shirking away from any endeavor…

Continue Reading

Home -> 5756 -> Shoftim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5756

“You shall be wholehearted with Hashem your G-d.” (18:15)

Rashi interprets the pasuk as an admonishment against going to the pagans to discover the future. One should follow Hashem with simplicity, accepting His decree without question. The Piazesner Rebbe, zl, offers two approaches towards understanding this pasuk. Every individual accepts upon himself the resolution to do the right thing and live the proper way – in the future. “Tomorrow we will be good” is a popular aphorism among those who choose to defer their responsibility for the moment or simply to gloss over their current errors. The yetzer hora, evil inclination, attempts to persuade us to disregard the present,…

Continue Reading

Home -> 5756 -> Shoftim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5756

“He (the unintentional murderer) shall flee to one of these cities (of refuge) and live.” (19:5)

The importance of hju, “he shall live,” is underscored by the Rambam in Hilchos Rotze’ach 7:1 where he states, “A student who is exiled to the cities of refuge, his Torah teacher is exiled with him, as it says in the Torah, “He shall live; make it for him that he shall live.” For those who are wise and who seek wisdom (of Torah), the inability to learn Torah properly (without their rebbe) would be like death. This same halachah is applicable in the event a Torah teacher is exiled; his students are exiled with him. Conversely, when addressing the…

Continue Reading

Home -> 5756 -> Shoftim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5756

“Our hands have not spilled this blood.” (21:7)

Chazal question how anyone could imagine that the elders of Klal Yisrael could be murderers. When they say, “Our hands have not spilled this blood,” they disclaim responsibility for not addressing the needs of the victim as he was leaving town. The Torah demands that leadership respond to the needs of every Jew. How far does this responsibility extend? At what point are the elders not held culpable for their lack of “sensitivity”? The Yerushalmi in the Talmud Sotah makes an interpretation of this pasuk which carries with it remarkable ramifications. They posit that “this blood” is a reference to…

Continue Reading

Home -> 5755 -> Shoftim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5755

“You shall not plant for yourselves an idolatrous tree, any tree near the altar of Hashem your G-d.” (16:21)

The idolators were accustomed to plant beautiful trees called “asheiros” at the entrance of their temples. To separate us from this idolatrous custom, the Torah prohibits the planting of any tree in the Bais Ha’Mikdash or, as Chazal have added, even on the entire Har Ha’Bayis. In the Talmud, Sanhedrin 7b, Chazal explain the juxtaposition of the prohibition of planting an asheirah to the injunction to appoint judges. They say it teaches us that one who appoints an unqualified judge is regarded as if he had planted an asheirah. The commentators offer a number of reasons for equating appointing an…

Continue Reading

Home -> 5755 -> Shoftim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5755

“If a matter of judgment is hidden from you, between blood and blood, between verdict and verdict, between plague and plague, matters of dispute in your cities.” (17:8)

There are a number of homiletic interpretations for this pasuk. The Pardes Yosef offers an explanation which places emphasis on the need for character refinement. He interprets the pasuk to mean, “If judgment is hidden from you,” if you have difficulty in reaching a conclusion in a halachic dispute, if the halacha seems hidden from you; it is because you do not properly distinguish between “blood and blood.” You are more concerned regarding questions involving your blood and do not seem to be sensitive to the blood of others. This is the antithesis of Chazal’s dictum in the Talmud, Sanhedrin…

Continue Reading

Home -> 5755 -> Shoftim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5755

“And he shall not have too many wives, so that his heart may not turn astray; and he shall not greatly increase silver and gold for himself.” (17:17)

The Yerushalmi, Sanhedrin 2:6, explains why Shlomo Ha’Melech was deposed. Chazal comment that the “yud” of the word vcrh came before Hashem and “complained” that Shlomo Ha’Melech was rejecting a Torah prohibition. The Torah states that the king may not increase his wives, and Shlomo had done just that. Hashem responded that a thousand Shlomos would come and go, but never would a single letter of the Torah be eliminated. We must endeavor to understand why, specifically, it was the “yud” that complained. Why did not any of the other letters voice their opinion ? What underlying message did the…

Continue Reading

Home -> 5755 -> Shoftim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5755

“This is the matter of the murderer who shall flee there and live.” (19:4)

Chazal derive from the word hju “and [he shall] live,” that we must provide every opportunity to sustain the inadvertent murderer in a manner that goes above and beyond mere existence. He must live with vitality. What is the meaning of life for a Jew ? How is true chiyus, living, defined in Torah vernacular ? The Torah in Devarim 30:20 states, “For it (the Torah) is your life and the length of your days.” A Jew’s chiyus is Torah, his breath of life is Torah study. As life has no trade-off, so, too, does the Torah have no trade-off….

Continue Reading

Home -> 5755 -> Shoftim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5755

“And they shall speak and say: ‘Our hands have not shed this blood.'” (21:7)

The eglah arufah ceremony is shrouded in mystery. When the body of a murder victim is found between two cities, the elders of the city closest to the body must perform the ritual of eglah arufah. The commentaries cite various reasons for this rite. During the ceremony the elders must say, “Our hands have not shed this blood.” Rashi comments that obviously no one suspects that they had anything to do with this violent crime. Their declaration only reinforces the fact that they did not permit the victim to leave the city without accompaniment or without food. Rashi apparently equates…

Continue Reading

Home -> 5753 -> Shoftim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shoftim, 5753

And it shall be when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom and he shall write him a copy of this law . . . and it shall be with him. And he shall read therein all the days of his life that he may learn to fear Hashem his G-d . . . that his heart not be lifted up (in arrogance) above his brethren and that he not turn aside from the mitzvah.” (17:18,19,20)

The Torah implies that the king must seek shleimus, perfection, not only as king, but also as an individual Jew. He is not permitted to allow his exalted position to go to “his head.” Arrogance is an unbecoming character trait for anyone, especially a Jewish king. All too often, one who is constantly involved with communal responsibility forgets his obligation to himself. One’s personal spiritual perfection should not defer to his communal endeavors. One who devotes himself to Klal Yisrael undoubtedly has enormous zechusim, merits. These merits will support him in his time of need. Nonetheless, as Horav D. Bliacher,…

Continue Reading

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our weekly Peninim on the Torah list!

You have Successfully Subscribed!