Shabbos Table

By virtue of three things, the world endures: law, truth, and peace. 

A video that’s gone viral on social media showed a woman sobbing to the brink of madness because her husband left her and allegedly stole from her. 

She hollers and asks, “why.” We are all familiar with a question as we break under the weight of injustice. We can assume that the betrayal shatters her heart and trust. 

In this week’s Parsha, Shoftim discusses the need for justice. As this woman wails, some ask for her to have justice for her bleeding heart. It’s what any of us would want. We want answers that are just. 

Tzedek, Tzedek, tirdof – Justice, justice you shall pursue is the bedrock of Judaism. 

For centuries, our ancestors have fought for the right to be Jews. So, it’s no surprise that more than anyone, we know what it is like to be beaten down, throttled upon, discriminated against, and pushed to the wayside. It is our responsibility and purpose to fight for those who cannot fight for them, and the Torah recognizes this in this week’s Parsha as it instructs us to find judges (Shoftim) to teach us the laws and hold us responsible to them. 

The Parsha talks about the need to be fair to the victim and those accused. The Torah wants there to be enough witnesses o that there is absolute fairness in judgment. 

The Parsha even addresses who may and may not go to war as it considers the individual and their other obligations or emotions. Those who just got married should not go to war. It’s time to build that union. Someone who just built a new house must stay and dwell in it. Someone scared may also be permitted to stay out of a war. 

So, this Parsha shows that while there is a need for justice, we can achieve it by showing compassion.  

It is now an obligation that we take these matters into our home as we lead by example and remove a tongue of judgment and condemnation. Perhaps, as we approach the new year, we may want to spend a bit of time reflecting on how we can show up and be better supporters and fighters of justice but keep at the forefront a compassionate heart.