Parashat Shoftim 5785 -30 August 2025 / 6 Elul 5785

Mr. Murthy Gaddi
5 days ago
8 min read

Gaddi's Notes from the Sages Writings:

“Shoftim: The Torah of Justice, Leadership, and Moral Responsibility”

SHOFTIM: JUSTICE, LEADERSHIP, AND COMMUNAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE LIGHT OF THE SAGES”

📖 Shoftim in the Light of the Sages

1. Appointing Judges and Officers (16:18–20)

“Judges and officers you shall appoint in all your gates…”

Rashi: The “gates” symbolize each city — but in Chassidut, also the “gates of a person”, i.e. the senses. In Elul (when Shoftim is read), one must appoint inner judges to guard what enters heart and mind.
Sifri: Justice must not only be done, but pursued — hence “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof”. The double language teaches: pursue justice through just means.
Midrash Tanchuma (Shoftim 8): God says: if you judge truthfully, you establish the divine throne in Israel.

💡 Essence: The integrity of society — and the soul — depends on honest justice.

2. The King and Humility (17:14–20)

The Torah permits appointing a king but limits his power.

Ramban: Unlike the kings of other nations, Israel’s king is subject to Torah and must embody humility.
Sifri: The king must write two Torah scrolls — one remains in the treasury, and one he carries with him at all times.
Chassidut: A true king symbolizes the heart of the people. If the king is humble and bound to Torah, the whole nation is uplifted.
Malbim: The prohibition against multiplying horses, wives, or wealth prevents arrogance and dependence on human power.

💡 Essence: The Jewish king represents leadership rooted in humility and Torah — foreshadowing the Messianic king.

3. Prophets and False Prophets (18:9–22)

“A prophet from your midst, like me (Moshe), shall Hashem your God raise up…”

Rashi: Refers to the ongoing chain of prophets who will guide Israel.
Ramban: Ultimately, it alludes to Mashiach, who will combine prophecy, kingship, and Torah wisdom.
Talmud (Sanhedrin 89a): A prophet is only recognized if his predictions come true — but he may also warn of punishment that is averted by repentance.
Zohar: The prophet is the“mouth” of the Shechinah — a channel of divine will on earth.

💡 Essence: Prophecy is divine guidance in history; its fulfillment is perfected in Mashiach.

4. Cities of Refuge (19:1–13)

Cities were established to protect unintentional killers until trial.

Talmud (Makkot 10a): “Words of Torah are a refuge” — just as the cities protect the body, Torah study protects the soul from sin.
Rambam (Hil. Rotzeach 7:1): This mitzvah combines mercy with justice: the unintentional killer is not executed, but not free either.
Chassidut (Baal Shem Tov): Elul itself is like a “city of refuge” in time — a safe space for the soul to return to God before judgment.

💡 Essence: Divine justice balances accountability with compassion.

5. Laws of War (20:1–20)

Before battle, the Kohen addresses the people: “Do not be afraid, for Hashem your God goes with you.”

Rashi: True strength is faith; Israel’s victories come from God, not numbers or weapons.
Sforno: The exemptions (new house, vineyard, marriage) show that Torah values life and peace over war.
Midrash Tanchuma: Even in war, fruit trees must not be destroyed — teaching ecological sensitivity and respect for creation.

💡 Essence: Even in struggle, Torah demands ethics, restraint, and faith.

6. Eglah Arufah — The Broken-Necked Calf (21:1–9)

Ritual when a slain man is found and themurderer unknown.

Mishnah (Sotah 9:6): Elders of the nearest city proclaim innocence but also confess responsibility: “Did we provide food and escort for this man?”
Rambam (Hil. Rotzeach 9:1): This teaches communal accountability — every leader is responsible for the welfare of travelers and strangers.
Midrash (Devarim Rabbah 2:24): Through this ritual, the land itself is cleansed of bloodshed, symbolizing the sanctity of human life.

💡 Essence: Israel is collectively responsible for every soul.

✨ Unified Vision of Shoftim

The sages reveal Shoftim as more than a legal code: it is a spiritual constitution for Israel:

Judges → Justice and self-discipline.
Kings → Leadership under Torah and humility.
Prophets → Divine guidance through history.
Cities of Refuge → Mercy and Torah as protection.
Laws of War → Holiness even in conflict.
Eglah Arufah → Responsibility for every soul.

📌 In Chassidic thought: Since Shoftim is always read in Elul, it also instructs: Appoint “judges and officers” over your own gates (the senses, mind, and heart), so that each person prepares for the Days of Awe with justice, humility, Torah, and compassion.

“THE TZADDIK AS THE PERFECT TREE: FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD AND SEED OF REDEMPTION”

🌳 The Perfect Tree is the Tzaddik

1. “Fruit-Tree with Seed in It” — Tiferet and Yesod

📖 “Every fruit-tree with seed in it after its kind”(Gen. 1:12)

Zohar I:1a: “Fruit-tree” refers to Tiferet, the Sefirah embodying balance, harmony, and beauty.
“Seed in it”: Refers to Yesod, the channel of divine transmission, identified with Yosef HaTzaddik.
Together, Tiferet united with Yesod is the spiritual essence of the Tzaddik, who connects divine abundance with the world.

💡 Insight: Just as a tree bears fruit through the hidden power of its seed, the Tzaddik draws from the higher Sefirot and transmits holiness into tangible deeds, teachings, and blessings.

2. Yesod as “Kol” — The Connector of Heaven and Earth

📖 “Yours, Hashem, is the greatness, the power, the beauty, the eternity, the majesty, and all (kol) that is in heaven and earth”(1 Chron. 29:11).

The sages teach that these phrases correspond to the seven emotive Sefirot.

Yesod = “Kol” (all), because it gathers the flow from all the upper Sefirot and delivers it into Malkhut (Kingdom, the community of Israel).
Zohar I:31a, II:116a: Yesod unites Heaven (the upper Sefirot) with Earth (Malkhut).

💡 Insight: The Tzaddik, as the embodiment of Yesod, is the living channel that holds together heaven and earth — transmitting divine vitality to the community of Israel.

3. The Tzaddik as Foundation of the World

📖 “The righteous is the foundation of the world”(Prov. 10:25).

Zohar I:33a: The phrase “seed in it” refers to the Tzaddik, who is the Yesod Olam, the foundation of creation.
“After its kind”: Refers to all Israel who receive holiness through him — the blossoms of the tree.

💡 Insight: Just as all fruit trees grow from seed, the spiritual growth of Israel comes through attachment (deveikut) to the Tzaddik.

4. A Shared Fate — Israel as One Tree

📖 “For as the days of a tree shall be the days of My people” (Isa. 65:22).

Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah 3:1: Like the date palm, no part of Israel is wasted: some are scholars, some do kindness, some uphold justice. Each part is needed for the full tree.
Chassidut: The Jewish people and the Tzaddik are branches of one great tree: the Tzaddik is the root and trunk, the people are the branches, leaves, and fruit.

💡 Insight:The Tzaddik does not stand alone. He and his generation are one organism — just as a tree is both root and fruit.

5. Messiah as the Righteous Shoot

📖 “I will raise to David a righteous shoot”(Jer. 23:5).

The prophets describe Mashiach as a branch, shoot, or sprout growing from David’s line.
Zohar and Midrash: This “Tzemach Tzaddik” is the culmination of all Tzaddikim — the perfect tree that brings redemption.
Jeremiah continues: “Hashem lives, who brought the seed of Israel out of the north country…” (Jer. 23:7–8) — tying redemption to the flourishing of the tree.

💡 Insight:Just as the seed grows unseen before sprouting, soMashiach remains hidden until the appointed time, when he blossoms as theTree of Redemption.

6. Leaves for Healing, Fruit for Sustenance

📖 “Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing”(Ezek. 47:12).

Zohar and Midrash: The fruit are the mitzvot and deeds of the righteous; the leaves are the protective merits of even small actions.
Chassidut: A true Tzaddik not only sustains (fruit) but also heals and protects (leaves). His teachings, prayers, and example nourish and shelter all who attach to him.

💡 Insight: The Tzaddik’s influence extends beyond his own deeds — it transforms his environment and brings healing to others.

7. Resilience and Resurrection

📖 “At the scent of water it will bud”(Job 14:9).

The sages read this as a metaphor for the resurrection of the dead: just as a cut tree revives, so too the righteous shall rise.
Proverbs 24:16: “The righteous falls seven times, but rises again.”
Psalm 16:10: “You will not abandon Your saint to the grave.”

💡 Insight: The Tzaddik, like a tree, is never truly destroyed. Even if felled, his roots — faith, Torah, and deeds — ensure renewal, resurrection, and eternal continuity.

✨ Essence

The Tzaddik is the perfect tree: Tiferet (beauty) joined with Yesod (foundation).

He unites Heaven and Earth, sustains Israel, and becomes the channel of divine flow.

His fruit are righteous deeds and students; his leaves bring healing and protection; his roots ground the people in faith.

All Israel is onetree with him — each part essential.

Ultimately, the Messiah is the righteous shoot, the culmination of the Tree of Life, heralding redemption and resurrection.

SHOFTIM- JUSTICE, LEADERSHIP, AND COMMUNAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE LIGHT OF THE SAGES

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