My parsha, or torah portion, is called shoftim, which means judges, and it has some really important things to say about justice. As we approach parashat shoftim, we find ourselves in the middle. Tzedek tzedek tirdof 5764 an inappropriate judge 5763 life without parole 5762 home is where the bais din is 5761 words of exhortation 5760 torah is talking to you 5759 time zone of refuge 5758 just say no 5757. Meam loez series shmuel yerushalmi, rabbi nathan bushwick on. As its name suggests it revolves around the role and the lives of the thirteen biblical judges who were indispensable in delivering and practicing justice for the israelites and also instrumental in inculcating the practice of torah popularly known as the pentateuch among the hebrews. Rather, when he sits upon the throne, he shall write for himself a duplicate of this teaching in a book. The parsha also mandates the establishment of cities of refuge, to be used when someone kills someone accidentally and is threatened by the revenge of the victims family members. These seven haftarot commence on the shabbat following tisha bav and continue until rosh hashanah. According to the quinate structure of deuteronomy outlined in the torah. The books i have read point to ways in which there are coherent groups of stories which might have common origins, some dialectic evidence for northern versus southern origin, and some ideas about later edits. The israelites are told that in every dealing they should pursue justice in order to. Aug 07, 2016 sefer shoftim also known as the book of judges is the second book in the neviim prophets section of the tanakh and the second book of the nev. Shoftim judges chapter 1 tanakh online torah bible. This court is to be set up, ultimately, in yerushalayim.
It says in sefer shoftim 14,56 and shimshon and his father and mother went down to timnas, and they came until the vineyards of timnas, and behold, a young lion roared towards him. An anthology of interpretation and commentary on the five books of moses. The parsha of shoftim is the classic source of the three types of leadership in judaism, called by the sages the three crowns. There was no longer a ruler over the entire nation. Aug 16, 2009 the torah tell us justice, justice shall you pursue.
After yehoshuas death the jewish people entered a new era. They were either great military leaders, torah scholars, or both. A glance at this weeks parshah equality before the law, due process, protection of. This weeks reading, shoftim, addresses fundamental issues pertaining to the leadership of the jewish people. Family edition is a new and exciting initiative from the office of rabbi read more spanish. The torah tell us justice, justice shall you pursue. The portion shoftim takes us on a journey through the inner landscape giving us a vision of four aspects of self that must be discovered, cultivated and refined. Rabbi berel wein rav of bet knesset hanasi, and noted historian and lecturer rabbi pruzansky has shown that the writings of our prophets are not simple books of history meant to teach us events of the past but are voices of prophecy, carrying with them divine lessons for the future. In this parsha, learn a lesson in the rules of just being, and being just, featuring rabbi david saperstein. You can see general items newest, most popular and related shiurim for your topic,collections to view the various topics found within your topic, featured the shiurim handselected by our editors that we think you will enjoy,and all the available series and categories within this topics shiurim.
This is the torah, or teaching, of the commentator, charged by his or her editor to make sense of our ancient tradition and crucially to bring. The king was required to write out two sifrei torah books of the torah and to keep them with him at all times in order that he remain humble deuteronomy 17. Shoftim judges focuses on how the jewish people will rule themselves once they enter and settle the land of israel. Wholeheartedness is necessary to build torah institutions 5765 the double language. Justice the very concept is said to be a jewish contribution to the world. Free torah shiurim downloads this site was created to harness the power of the internet to be marbitz torah.
Parsha shoftim dvar torah climate change is a halchic. Almost 3,300 years ago, moses is speaking about equality before the law, due process in the investigation and prosecution of crimes, protection of criminals from vigilante vengeance, curbs on the behavior of kings, rules and ethics in warfare, and collective responsibility. Continuing mosess farewell address to the children of israel, this weeks portion deals extensively with the legal system the people must establish when they enter the land. This weeks haftorah is the fourth of a series of seven haftarot of consolation. Rabbi yehuda loew, more commonly known as the maharal 15251609, explains that on a natural level, having extra food in his backpack wouldnt have protected the traveler against armed robbers. Shmuel hanavi, the author of shoftim describes how each man did what was right in his own eyes 17. Shoftim slides pdf shoftim notes pdf deuteronomy 16.
Laws regarding both sacred and secular legislation are addressed. Brings immediacy and life to the great characters portrayed in the book of judges. To beat us over the head with a point, or to tell us something more. A glance at this weeks parshah equality before the law, due process, protection of criminals from vigilante vengeance, curbs on the behavior of kings, rules and ethics in warfare. Parshat shoftim tells how a jewish king had to keep a torah scroll by his side at all. From courts to kings and priests to false witnesses and murderers, the portion details what god expects the people to do in each case. He shall read from it as long as he shall live, so that he may. With our comprehensive library of digitized shiurim you will find your favorite speakers, discover new ones and be able to search for your topic among thousands of shiurim. The commandment for the king to write a copy of the torah demonstrates the work of messiah.
In the narrative of the hebrew bible, it covers the time between the conquest described in the book of joshua and the establishment of a kingdom in the books of samuel, during which biblical judges served as temporary leaders. Introduction to sefer shoftim a journey through nach ou torah. From courts to kings and priests to false witnesses and murderers, the portion details what. The book of judges, sefer shoftim is the seventh book of the hebrew bible and the christian old testament. A bronze statue of king david yeshua was acknowledged as the king of the jews, as was written on the sign posted over his head at his execution matthew 27. To receive the blessings of shoftim, we must look within and do an accounting of these aspects of self. Home devarim shoftim we have entered into another detailpacked parshah this week. Basics of judaism the judaism primer god in a nutshell israel in a nutshell exploring the siddur tour of the temple. Sefer shoftim also known as the book of judges is the second book in the neviim prophets section of the tanakh and the second book of the nev. While this phrase does appear at the beginning of the book e. Hebrew rootstorah observanceshoftim wikibooks, open books. And there were the shoftim the judges about whom this book was written. Do not bend justice and do not give special consideration to anyone.
Parshas shoftim is always read in the month of elul, the month when, the king is in the field. At the beginning of the parsha, there is the very famous verse, tzedek, tzedek tirdof justice, justice you shall pursue, which demands that we all seek out and live just and righteous lives. The metsudah tanach series the book of shoftim jewish used books is a used book store offering discount book prices. The torah reading deals with fundamentals of jewish leadership, including the establishment of jewish courts and a number of laws relating to judges. For a text as old as shoftim, secular scholars do not, in general, maintain theories that some particular, named, individual wrote a text. At the beginning of the parsha, there is the very famous verse, tzedek, tzedek tirdof justice, justice you shall pursue, which demands that we.
Shofetim or shoftim is the 48th weekly torah portion, parashah in the annual jewish cycle of torah reading and the fifth in the book of deuteronomy. Shofetim or shoftim hebrew for judges, the first word in the parashah is the 48th weekly torah portion, parashah in the annual jewish cycle of torah reading and the fifth in the book of deuteronomy. Shoftim, shoftim, or shofetim, hebrew for judges, may mean. The groundbreaking book on nach, journey through nach, is now available. The wise student, secure in his anonymity, smugly opened the stack of exam books to the middle, stuck his book in, and quickly walked out the door. Shoftim in a nutshell moses instructs the people of israel to appoint judges and law enforcement officers in every city. Within this era, fifteen shoftim judges filled this role.
Do not take bribes, since bribery makes the wise blind and perverts the words of the righteous. It is the only parsha whose name is also the name of an entire book of the. Encyclopedia of jewish and israeli history, politics and culture, with biographies, statistics, articles and documents on topics from antisemitism to zionism. It contains laws about judges, witnesses, the king, and the priests and levites. Shoftim also includes the prohibitions against idolatry and sorcery. It begins with a discussion regarding judges, and later gives rules pertaining to kings, prophets and kohanim priests. The portion begins with appointing judges to make the laws and officers to enforce them, so there will be true justice in israel. All of this is important to keep in mind so as not to get a skewed picture of the very long historical period that this book covers in just a. The book of shoftim traces the history of the jews in israel from the death of yehoshua 2516 which was 1244 bce until 2830 930 bce.
The torahshoftim wikibooks, open books for an open world. Hebrew rootstorah observanceshoftim wikibooks, open. Shoftim veshotrim titenlecha becholsheareycha asher adonay eloheycha noten lecha lishvateycha veshafetu ethaam mishpat tsedek. Every jew should follow in his paths, and leave the security of the city, the established jewish community, and go out and extend himself to those jews in the field, helping them find their way back to their jewish heritage.
Parashat shoftim 14 august 2018 in this weeks dvar torah for shoftim, the chief rabbi explains the importance of sharing good and positive news. Shoftim when you say let us set a king over us like all the nations around us, you shall surely appoint. Moses talks about the limits future kings should have on their possessions. The seventh among the 24 tanakh bible books, the book of judges is also considered to be among the oldest. Justicethe very concept is said to be a jewish contribution to the world. Shoftim judges parsha weekly torah portion kabbalah blog. Join rabbi david saperstein for a lesson in the rules of just being, and. Of the 10 shabbat torah portions in deuteronomy, shoftim is number five. Justice, justice shall you pursue, he commands them, and you must administer it without corruption or favoritism. The metsudah tanach series the book of shoftim by metsudah.
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