"Moses appointed police officers over the tribes but did not mention any judges. One might think, if we cannot have judges, at the least our society should have police. But, actually this is wrong. Police cannot be the law – they must merely enforce the law." This week’s parsha is Shoftim (Devarim 16:18-21:9), which is the Hebrew word for judges, it opens with these famous words: | שֹֽׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּתֶּן־לְךָ֙ בְּכָל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ לִשְׁבָטֶ֑יךָ וְשָֽׁפְט֥וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם מִשְׁפַּט־צֶֽדֶק: | 18 You shall set up judges and police for yourself in all your cities that the Lord, your God, is giving you, for your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. | | לֹֽא־תַטֶּ֣ה מִשְׁפָּ֔ט לֹ֥א תַכִּ֖יר פָּנִ֑ים וְלֹֽא־תִקַּ֣ח שֹׁ֔חַד כִּ֣י הַשֹּׁ֗חַד יְעַוֵּר֙ עֵינֵ֣י חֲכָמִ֔ים וִֽיסַלֵּ֖ף דִּבְרֵ֥י צַדִּיקִֽם: | 19 You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show favoritism, and you shall not take a bribe, for bribery blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts just words. | | צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף לְמַ֤עַן תִּֽחְיֶה֙ וְיָֽרַשְׁתָּ֣ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ: | 20 Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may live and possess the land the Lord, your God, is giving you. | Jewish tradition seems clear: both judges and police are needed and both judges and police are instruments of justice. Every society needs both to determine the law and enforce it. Yet, Jewish tradition inverts the order from what we in America would have imagined. We are conditioned to believe that the proper order should be to police and then judge; arrest and then determine punishment based on law. It is this exact question which motivates Rashi to say Shoftim are judges who decide the law, and shotrim are merely those who enforce a judges’ decision. Famously Bartenura asks “why does Rashi bother to explain the obvious here?” noting that earlier (Devarim 1:15) Moses appointed police officers over the tribes but did not mention any judges. One might think, if we cannot have judges, at the least our society should have police. But, actually this is wrong. Police cannot be the law – they must merely enforce the law. Jewish tradition makes a deeply important point and one that resonates mightily with our society: Police – agents of law enforcement – need to be subservient to law and not independent of our judges. An ethical society has judges who review cases without favoritism, and apply the law fairly by police. Verse 19 this week, mandates basic fairness and verse 20 inspires us to tirelessly pursue the grandest form of justice we can – at all times, everywhere. But, why should this be connected to the land or Shmita? The answer of course is clear. Even our land has to be governed with Justice. The fruit trees, earth, and animals also demand a just society. This Shmita year, we have an opportunity to step back and explore the connection between our modern society – our understanding of Justice, policing, judging – and Jewish tradition. | |
|  Michael J. Broyde is a professor of Law at Emory University and the Projects Director of it's Center for the Study of Law and Religion. He is an ordained rabbi as well. | |
Upcoming Learning Opportunities | |
 | | August 8 - September 6 Because the upcoming year is a Shmita, or sabbatical year, this year’s Shofar Project will focus in particular on release: of our control of our planet and other human beings, as well as habits of mind and behavior that create an unjust society. The Shofar Project 5781 is a free program open to people of all backgrounds who want to make this a year of continued transformation. IJS will provide Jewish teachings and daily practices including Torah study, Jewish mindfulness meditation, and Jewish yoga. It takes place during the Hebrew month of Elul, the month preceding the Jewish High Holy Days, a traditional period for intensive spiritual reflection, introspection, and moral accounting. | | | | |  | | Thursday, August 19 1:00-2:30 PM EDT Join The Tasman Center and Hazon for a virtual workshop to prepare for a special Rosh Hashanah! The workshop will include: - Learning and discussion about the Jewish calendar, the seven year Shmita cycle and the month of Elul
- Guided meditation
- A digital copy of our Mindful Shmita Workbook with creative activities for you to use throughout the Shmita year
We're offering this program at a sliding scale. This also includes a free workbook to use throughout the Shmita year. See what this means for spiritual growth this year! | | | | | |
