Parshat Hashavua : Parashas Shoftim

Shalom Uvracha;
  This weeks Parsha reveals to us the importance of reading the simple
signs from HaShem when in the course of life we need directing.

  Be sure to read and enjoy.

  Have a good week and Shabbat full of peace and renewal.


    בס''ד

  Parashas Shoftim

  I.  Following the Road Signs of Halachah
  "You should prepare the way…that every murderer shall flee there.."
(Devarim 19:3)


  It was incumbent upon the Children of Israel to set aside special cities
in Israel for accidental murderers to seek refuge in.  According to the
Torah, the deceased's next of kin are legally permitted to avenge the death
and kill the murderer, unless he reached the safe haven of one of these
cities.  The Torah commands B'nei Yisrael to "prepare the way" (ibid).  This
commandment requires that the beis din – court – makes sure that there
are adequate road signs to direct the murderer to the nearest city of
refuge.  The Talmud (Makkos 10b) quotes Rav Chama bar Chanina:  "If for the
wicked, (Hashem) shows [them the path, to save them from harm], then
certainly for the righteous."  Apparently, Hashem always places "road signs"
to show us the direction we should take in life to save us from harm.  Where
are those road signs and how do we ascertain what they mean?
  The Gemara teaches us that just as Hashem is concerned for the murderer
and wants him to easily find his way, He also supplies us with signs to
point us in the right direction.  The accidental murderer can find his way
to the city of refuge by following the road signs; we can determine what to
do when our lives reach a fork in the road by analyzing what the Torah and
halachah require of us.  If, at almost any given moment, we look into the
Shulchan Aruch, we will find information to help us decide our course of
action.  This can be seen in the famous incident of Yaakov Avinu's dream of
angels ascending and descending a ladder that reached into heaven.  When
Yaakov awoke, he realized that he was on the site of the Holy Temple and he
exclaimed, "If so, Hashem is in this place, and I didn't know" (Bereishis
28:16).  Rashi explains Yaakov's statement, "Had I known, I would not have
slept in such a holy place."
  Had Yaakov known that he was on the Temple site, he would have been faced
with a difficult decision: to temporarily defile the future spot of the Holy
Temple in order to receive an important prophecy, or to move on, find other
lodgings and possibly miss the chance of having his future revealed to him.
Yaakov's statement testifies that he would have made his decision by
examining the halachah and he would not have slept on the Temple site, even
if that meant losing the chance for a special prophecy.
  The force of halachah applies to us, and shows us the proper direction in
life, at all times and in all circumstances.  Yaakov would have forsaken the
prophecy that told him his future rather than do something against halachah.
Our conviction to follow halachah will determine how difficult, or how
easy, it is for us to recognize our own individualized "road signs".  The
greater our storehouse of Torah knowledge and halachah is, the easier it
will be for us to find the proper path through the winding and often
comfusing roads of life.
  The murderer may find it difficult to find his way as he attempts to
elude his pursuers on a strange and unfamiliar road.  Had the city of refuge
been near his hometown the directions would have been easy for him to
follow.  The more we find ourselves at home in Torah, the simpler it will be
for us to chart our course in life.

  II.  Chesed – The Power to Save a Life
  "…And they shall speak and say:  "Our hands have not shed this
blood…" (Devarim 21:7)
  When the body of a murder victim is found between two cities, the Elders
of the closest city must perform the eglah arufah ceremony.  (In this
ceremony, the neck of a calf is broken.  This acts as an atonement for the
death (Rashi) and raises public awareness of the death so that witnesses
will come forward to testify [Sefer HaChinuch].)   The Elders must then say
that they did not kill this man.  Rashi points out that we, obviously, do
not suspect the Elders of murdering him.  The declaration is that they did
not see the victim or allow him to leave without food or escort out of the
city.
  It is apparent from Rashi that the Torah is equating negligence in
feeding or escorting a guest with murder.  We can understand how failure to
provide the proper sustenance to a traveler can be the indirect cause of his
meeting an untimely death on his voyage.  But how could the Elders be
responsible for his demise, even in the slightest way, if all they neglected
was escorting him out of town?
  Escorting someone as he leaves your home does not physically aid him –
it shows sensitivity for your guest and underscores the fact that you care
for his well-being.  The Torah, with this mitzvah of eglah arufah, is
teaching us that merely giving moral support and displaying concern for a
friend's welfare is as important as feeding him and taking care of his
physical requirements.  Had the Elders not escorted their guest it would
have been, literally a "life and death" issue.
  We can now comprehend the awesome responsibility and tremendous power
inherent in the mitzvah of chesed – kindness.  If the Elders of the town
had not fed the wayfarer, the Torah would have considered it tantamount to
murder.  On the other hand, merely walking a block with the traveler would
have instilled within him the courage – the home court advantage – to
meet and beat any challenge waiting for him on his way.
  Hashem implanted within each of us an amazing power – chesed.  This
power gives us the strength to save a life with merely a smile.  Showing
warmth and kindness to any Jew, certainly our friends and family, is much
more than a common decency – it is a responsibility.