[Index of all Weekly Divrei Torah pages]
Almost every Torah portion has its “classic” words of interpretation and commentary that accompany us as we go through the week. In our portion (Shoftim), the first words say, “Place judges and officers in all of your gates, that the Lord your God has given to you, to your tribes, and judge the nation correctly” (Deut. 16:18). The “classic” interpretation, offered by the Baal Shem Tov and others, is that we should place “guards” and “officers” at the “orifices” of our bodies,such as our eyes and ears. In this way, we hope to “guard” the “input” that comes our way, so that no damaging information invades our senses to corrupt our soul. We also hope to avoid saying anything negative, so we need “officers” by our mouths as well. In short, wherever there is an interface between ourselves and the rest of the world, the Torah instructs us to “place judges and officers,” thereby guarding the interface between soul and world, and making sure that we are not affected negatively by our environment. Additionally, these “judges” and “officers” make sure that we have only a positive effect on our surroundings.
This interpretation is very meaningful. In our day and age, it is often the quantity, rather than the quality of the data invading our senses that makes the difference. That the quality leaves a lot to be desired goes without saying – but even when the nature of the incoming data is not harmful – many times there is so much of it that if we’re not careful, it will overwhelm our senses. And therefore, the Torah tells us to place screens and filters, keep out the spam – and let in and out only those items that are related to Torah and mitzvoth!
After a few years of hearing and exploring these words of wisdom on the Torah portion, we may be excused for seeking more elaboration on the subject. As a matter of fact, we should always look for more elaboration, because it is the nature of man to always seek more information and knowledge and never to suffice with the spiritual levels that we already achieved, but rather to strive for more. So, it was with great curiosity that I looked into the words of the Ilana deChaya (R’ Menachem Mendel of Rimanov) on the subject – and I was not disappointed! Here is what he has to say about it…
“And in this manner [by placing ‘judges and officers at the ‘gates’], even though the ‘holy illumination’ of the am (“nation,” but also alluding to gehalim omemot, or “whispering coals”) may have extinguished,’ by making yourselves holy, avoiding the temptations of the body, when you “judge” yourselves, making a true accounting of your soul, this in turn induces thoughts of remorse and regret in the hearts of sinners. And this is what is meant by Ӆand judge the nationŔ – that is to say, “with the nation,” in order to induce even the lowest of the nation to do tshuva (‘return’ to God). And if you succeed, then you know that the judgment that you produce is “true and just.”
In case you didn’t catch it, the Ilana deChaya did indeed produce a new embellishment here – beyond telling us that we should place “judges and officers” at the interface between our soul and the world – he tells us that this is not only for our own sake. By so doing, we also influence the world – the am (those who are less educated and less knowledgeable than ourselves) – know nonetheless when we are honest. And when they see that we work upon ourselves, striving to improve ourselves, this has an effect upon them as well. They also begin to seek rectification, improving their situation, and seeking to approach closer to the One above. And in fact, this is the true judge of our own avoda – our own service of the One above – if it has an effect upon others as well, then we know that our path and method are honest and real.
The Torah text continues (Deut. 16:19), “Do not pervert justiceŔ Here, the Ilana deChaya interprets the verse to mean, “Do not pervert your own sense of justice, as you perform an accounting of yourself. Your evil inclination is capable of blinding you, rendering you incapable of seeing your own faults.”
And furthermore, Ӆdo not show favoritismŔ – the literal English translation is “do not recognize faces.” For, the “face” of one who transgresses undergoes changes, so the Torah admonishes us to be careful not to “change” our countenance, and to refrain from blemishing the image of God in which we were created.
And then, “do not take a bribeŔ even if it is only expressed in words, for the way of the evil inclination is to bribe us, telling us that we are righteous, since we are involved in Torah and mitzvoth. And the Torah warns us not to “accept” such flattery from the evil inclination and not to heed it at all. For, such flattery “blinds the eyes” of men, even if they are wise in the wisdom of the Torah. Even if they hear such praise just once, it is the nature of the evil inclination [to corrupt us with praise].
“And perverts legitimate wordsŔ – even words of rebuke that we might otherwise hear [if we are open to them] may be corrupted by the flattering of the evil inclination, which convinces us that the words of rebuke do not really apply to us. And how do we know, in the last analysis, if our personal accounting is accurate? If as a result of the process, we “pursue justice” (Deut. 16:20). That is, if our personal accounting leads to a greater level of holiness and fulfillment of Torah and mitzvoth – then we know that our accounting is correct, for “one mitzvah leads to anotherŔ This is the conclusion of the interpretation of the Ilana deChaya on this section of the Torah portion.