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Who is the man who has built a new house and has not inaugurated it? Let him go and return to his house…and who is the man who has planted a vineyard and not redeemed it? …And who is the man who has betrothed a woman and not married her?…Who is the man who is fearful and faithearted, let him go and return to his house. (20:5,6, 7,8)

The Torah presents an unusual scene.  The Kohen addresses the prospective soldiers as they prepare to go to battle.  Those that are unsuitable for battle should leave the field, for fear that their own anxiety or lack of enthusiasm might  erode the morale of their comrades.  The Torah addresses four types of situations in which the individual ought to return home.  First, the individual who recently built a house and has not yet had the opportunity to live in it.  His fear is that someone else will move in to his home; second, is the individual   who did not…

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Judges and officers shall you appoint …and they may judge the people with righteous judgement. (16:18)

The Midrash Tanchuma translates  “shoftim” as judges and “shotrim” as executive officers who guide the community in the spirit of the law.  Together, they  unite the Jewish nation around Hashem and His law. In this way,  Hashem’s imprimatur is establsihed on the land, giving it the character of a Torah state.  Horav Shlomo Breuer, zl, feels that this was the  underlying meaning of king Yehoshafat’s admonishment to the judges when he warned, “Behold what you are doing; you do not sit in judgement of men,  but of G-d, for He is with you at every pronouncement of the law.”  (Divrei…

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Judges and officers shall you appoint … you shall not plant for yourselves an idolatrous tree…and you shall not erect for yourselves a pillar; which Hashem your G-d hates. (16:18,21,22)

The Torah enjoins us not to plant an asheirah, which was a tree that was worshipped as an idol.  Likewise, it is also forbidden to erect a pillar or single stone for the purpose of idol-worship.  Although at one time this was a manner of worship to Hashem, it was adopted by the idol-worshippers.  Hashem despises anything associated with idols.  Consequently, it was forbidden for a Jew to worship by any means other than the Mizbayach, altar of many stones.  The Torah’s juxtaposition of these laws to the pasuk regarding judges leads Chazal in the Talmud Avodah Zarah 52A, to…

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Judges and officers shall you appoint in your cities. (16:18)

The Zohar Ha’Kadosh states that the concept of “judges and officers” applies  to the individual as much as it does to the nation.  In order to triumph over the yetzer hora, evil inclination, one must make use of all his G-d -given faculties.  Horav Ze’ev Weinberger, Shlita, explains that shofet, judge, and shoter, officer, are analogies for two powers/abilities which are inherent in man.  The shofet adjudicates with logic.  His decision is rendered after careful deliberation and cogent appreciation of the entire circumstances.  The shoter executes the judge’s decision.  He does not involve his cognitive abilities in carrying out the…

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