Do we think for ourselves or blindly follow others?
Even though last week’s message was directed to the people of Israel, here in Parashat Shoftim, it is clearly speaking directly to each of us, since Moshe Rabenu is using the 2nd person singular. He begins in Deut. 16:18 with “You (singular) shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the LORD your God gives you, tribe by tribe; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment”. This is to guide us on the right path and to protect us. Our sages teach us that we have seven gates: two ears, two eyes, two nostrils and one mouth. We hear, we see, we smell, we taste, and we speak.
What is the practical application of this message for us today?
When you read or hear something bad about someone in the news, do you believe it without question? When it comes to slandering and discrediting people, the political arena is the worst. Lately, there have been many atrocities in the news. One such case was against a judge who was nominated for the Supreme Court. A lot of accusations were made against him, and this was covered by many journalists. They destroyed his reputation over something that he “supposedly” did when he was a teenager. Although it was later proven that the accusations were invented by the imagination of a sick woman, it was too late, and irreversible harm was done to this innocent man. It reminded me of the story of a man who spread false rumours about a rabbi who didn’t honour him with the position of carrying the Torah. The rabbi called the man to his office, where the man acknowledged that he was upset and said he would apologize publicly. The rabbi told him that before doing that, he needed to get a pillow, take it to the middle of the plaza, open it, throw the feathers into the air, then go and gather every feather and come back to him. The man did that and said, “Rabbi, I’m sorry, it’s impossible to bring all the feathers.” The rabbi replied, “It wouldn’t matter how much he apologized for what he had said, publicly or privately, people now believed the lies; there was nothing he could do about it.”
The moral of this story is that we need to appoint judges and officers to protect our ears, our eyes, our nostrils and most of all, our tongue! It is sometimes impossible for us to stop them, and we need something to help us. Not everything we hear or see is as it appears to be. Sometimes we think we see something, but it’s a mirage, a product of our imagination. At times, we hear something from someone that we accept before verifying, and then we speak out. We may not like the person and say things that are not true. How can we withdraw what we say? It’s impossible.
That’s why the Creator is warning us to guard these seven gates. We alone are responsible for them, and the best thing to do is to place the Creator in charge of them, for He is the true Judge and officer, and we are accountable to Him. That is why the Creator gave us the opportunity to prepare ourselves before the High Holidays; it is our time to do teshuva, to return to Him and especially to correct our wrongdoings toward others. Teshuva is making right what we have done wrong. Like the man who found it impossible to retrieve all the feathers, it may be impossible to reverse everything we do wrong, and we will need to suffer the consequences.
The Creator told us to choose an impartial judge, one who will not accept bribes that would blind him from doing the right thing. Have you ever prejudged someone because you heard things about them that prejudiced you against them? Have you jumped to conclusions because of what you heard instead of what you found out for yourself? How many of us have spread rumours that proved to be untrue? You may say, “I never talk about anyone, but someone came up to me and told me things before I could realize what was happening.” It is hard to discern fact from fiction in this day and age. That’s why I say, “Don’t be afraid to listen and then to search out the facts before making a decision.” If you are going to have an opinion about something, be informed.
You would be surprised at how many people are more fanatical than honest with themselves. Fanaticism blinds people to discern the truth; they might insist, “My religion is the only one that holds the truth,” but my question is, ‘Is there a religion that holds all truth?” The truth is that all religions are man-made responses to the Creator or to their gods or to whatever ideologies they hold. Man’s response is loud, and we rarely allow the Creator to speak to us. We are so busy telling God who He is and what He needs to do for us that we spend little time sitting down and learning from Him. How often do we fall into the trap set by others, and instead of being ourselves, we become followers? We accept what others say instead of taking the time to search the Scriptures to see what they actually say. Do not believe even what I tell you without checking it with the Scriptures. I may be wrong, but the Scriptures never are. We do not have the right to change them to fit our understanding.
I was recently listening to a rabbi whom I respect, when I heard him say something that made me jump out of my seat. He said that Moshe Rabenu gave us a second Torah called the Sheveh al Peh and that this second Torah is more evolved and brings more clarity than the first Torah written down by Moshe. First of all, there is only one Torah. There is only one set of Ten Commandments, and the two tablets, engraved by the finger of God, were placed in the Ark of the Covenant, not any other writings. Why did the Creator do it that way? Obviously, there would be no room in the Ark for the rabbi’s 613 commandments, and not even for the entire written Torah. Now with the advancement of man, we compare ourselves with the Creator, and so we show Him, directly or indirectly, by our actions, that we are smarter than He is.
What are the areas in our lives over which we must appoint our own judges and officers? Are there people in our lives who we allow to mentor us? Do we regard them as having a little more wisdom (chochmah) than we do in certain areas, and to whom we can listen and ask tough questions? I’m not saying to follow what they say, but their opinion can broaden our perspective, but ultimately, the decision is ours to make. There is no worse fool than the one who thinks he has all the answers. My father, of blessed memory, used to say to me, “Son, while you have life, you need to keep studying and learning. The day you stop learning is the day you start dying.” He loved this portion in Deut 16:20, in which there is a phrase he would repeat to me over and over: “צֶדֶק צֶדֶק, תִּרְדֹּף tzedek, tzedek tirdof”, “Justice, justice you must pursue”. I do not want to put my people on a pedestal, but as the people of Israel, this phrase has been ingrained in us more than any other nation. This is not about superiority, but our strong sense of justice. Israel does things that we may not always understand, but they arise out of this sense of Justice, which we must always pursue justice, even if it goes against our nature. Most of us prefer to put up a protective facade and are very quick to judge others. Our tongues speak too quickly, and then we suffer the consequences.
So, what can we do? Should we put blinders on our eyes so we can’t see, cover our ears so we can’t hear, put a muzzle on our mouths so we can’t speak and a clip on our nostrils so we can’t smell? Is this what the Creator is telling us? No, totally the contrary. He is telling us that before we do anything, we need to examine our kavanah, our intention. Do we intend good or bad for the person?
There is a term that has lost meaning over time, since now it’s more important to be politically, theologically and sociologically correct. This little word is “tact”. Having the right to speak doesn’t give us the right to say anything we please. We need to find the right time and the right words. The one who wins is not the one who insults more, or because we think we are smarter, that makes us right. “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof”, justice, justice, you must pursue. In this day and age, where everything is permitted, we have forgotten about integrity and decency because we have made ourselves the center of the universe. This parashah tells us not to make idols nor bow to anyone or anything, not to the sun or moon, because we have only one Creator and He’s the one who leads us.
Which of your seven gates gives you more problems? Some people may not speak, but don’t be fooled by their silence; they can still get into trouble. Usually, the one who talks the most is the one who gets into trouble the most. That’s why it says in Mishlei 17: 27-27,” Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.” Our great teacher Yeshua tells us, “Do not look at the speck in the eye of your neighbour, but remove the log from your own eye”.
That’s why we need judges who are impartial and who will listen to both sides of any story. We can’t properly analyze any situation until we hear all sides. Let us not think that we are “holier than thou”, or better than others or those who boast, saying “I don’t do what they do”. People have said to me, “Rabbi, I’m not like them.” Maybe that’s true, but in other areas, you are worse than them. Instead of putting ourselves on a pedestal, we need to humble ourselves before the Creator. That’s why Psalm 139 is so crucial. As it says in verses 23-24, we need to ask the Bore Olam to search our hearts to see if there is any wicked way within us. Unless we acknowledge it, we cannot change it. Then we can ask Him to help us change our ways so that we can have a relationship with Him.
What a beautiful, practical message. It helps me see that I am not holier or better than anyone. Rather, I acknowledge all my faults and limitations and see how much I need the Creator as well as all of you. That is what community is all about…to lift each other up and be there for each other when we are going through difficult times. As humans, we will fail, but it is wonderful to know that our God is the “God of beginning again”. He is constantly extending His arms out to us and welcoming us to return to Him. He doesn’t stand there waiting to point His finger at us; rather, He patiently waits for us to return to Him. What kind of God do most people have…a god who punishes them? Yes, I am punished for what I do, or better said, I suffer the consequence of what I do, but I can’t blame the Creator. I have to go and tell GOD that I am sorry that I didn’t follow His advice. Then, I need to make things right. I confess what I did, but the secret is that I must first make it right with myself. I need to learn how to forgive myself. There is no perfection in humans. He made us imperfect and gave each of us Free Will so that we can be responsible for our actions. He did not make us robots.
It’s a practical and simple message. With which of the seven gates are you struggling in your life? Make an introspection, through prayer, and when you search, be glad when you find and accept the areas in your life that need improvement, and ask Him for help. May the LORD give us wisdom, understanding and openness of heart to accept the areas we need to change and improve and then give the honour and glory to God for allowing us to begin again.
Blessed be His Name, Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Netanel ben Yochanan Z”l (Ranebi)