Parshas Shoftim

Hi everyone, I hope this helps you go into your Shabbos more prepared and I hope you learn something new!

This week’s Parsha is called, Parshas Shoftim “judges. “ We are instructed to appoint judges to help decide matters of Halacha when disputes arise. In the second passuk (passage) we are warned about the dangers of bribery. It says “….for a bribe will blind the eyes of the wise.…” Reb Yisroel Meir Kagen HaCohen zt”l better known as the Chafitz Chaim expounds in his safer “Chafitz Chaim Al HaTorah” on the concept of bribery. He says that if a bribe can blind or mislead the eyes of a person that the Torah calls wise, then bribery is a very dangerous element. The Chazon Ish goes even further and says that it’s not that a righteous judge will be influenced for his own personal gain, rather that Hashem imbued the “bribe” with a certain “power” that can make the righteous judge miss a detail that will affect the outcome of the case. In other words, like the passuk says “For a bribe will blind the eyes of the wise.”

With this in mind, we see how important it is for us to have righteous judges and even so, He still warns us that bribery can have an impact on the ruling. There is a story told of a man who every Friday would journey to the city to shop for Shabbos and before he would leave for home he would always drop off some fresh flowers at his dear friend’s house to enhance his friend’s Shabbos. His friend happened to be a judge. One time he brought his friend flowers on Thursday explaining that he had come into town on Thursday instead because he had a case that was going to be “heard” by his friend. His friend the judge recused himself from the case out of fear that he might be “blinded” during the case and rules incorrectly all because the flowers came one day early.

 

Even today, it is essential for us to recognize the judges of a Beis Din (Jewish Court) will never be bribed for their own benefit because the righteous will only pursue justice. Bribery however, can affect his ability to see things clearly.

 

We should all merit to judge people favorably and be judged favorably by Hashem! -Amen!

HAVE A GREAT SHABBOS AND WEEKEND!

Stay tuned for next week’s Parsha called, Parshas Ki Seitzei (KEY ZT-AY-ZT-AY)!