Parashat Shoftim 5768

This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Shoftim, is concerned with issues of justice. In the opening verses of the parashah, the Torah boldly proclaims: Justice, justice shall you pursue (Deuteronomy 16:20). These famous words, which instruct us to be agents of righteousness in our community, fuel much of our work at TBS. I read these words anew this year, though. For, on Sunday, we will open the TBS Religious School for the 2008-2009 school year.

This week, as I studied the parashah, I found myself drawn to the instructions Moses gives to the Israelites concerning their future appointment of a king. The text foreshadows the problematic relationship Israel will have with their power-hungry kings once they occupy the land. Today, with the kingship abolished, I believe each of us can learn from these instructions and consider the ways we can manage our own power and influence.

The Torah explains:

When he is seated on his royal throne, he shall have a copy of this Torah written for him on a scroll by the levitical priests. Let it remain with him and let him read in it all his life, so that he may learn to revere Adonai his God, to observe faithfully every word of this Torah as well as these laws. Thus his heart will not be raised above his fellows and he will not turn aside from the Instruction (Mitzvah), to the right or to the left, in order that he and his descendants may reign long in the midst of Israel (Deuteronomy 17:18-20).

As I mentioned, these words are particularly poignant to me as we begin our final preparations to open the Religious School doors to our students of Torah, once again. This ancient royal instruction is, indeed, exactly what we want our students to learn at TBS. We hope our students will live a life surrounded by Torah. We wish that Torah will remain relevant and meaningful for them. We pray that our students will learn that, at its core, Torah teaches a message of justice. And so, we work to instill in our students these central values, so beautifully outline in this week’s parashah: Everyone is equal. Our behavior affects the quality of life for every living creature.

As a community, our most basic desire is to help raise up a new generation that is committed to a life of justice. This week’s Torah portion is a reminder of our role in this process. We must become the “levitical priests.” We must continue to bring our students to Torah. To teach them its most basic values. To model for them its just application. To share with them its essential sweetness.

I invite all of you who are available to join us for our Religious School Opening Day ceremony this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary. As we unveil our social justice focus for the year, introduce our new HUC interns, greet our TBS teachers, and welcome our students to learning with music and joy, I know that we will inspire not only our students, but also (maybe even) ourselves.