Shoftim

Moses instructs the people of Israel to appoint judges and law-enforcement officers in every city; "Justice, justice shall you pursue," he commands them, and you must administer it without corruption or favoritism. Crimes must be meticulously investigated and evidence thoroughly examined -- a minimum of two credible witnesses is required for conviction and punishment.

In every generation, says Moses, there will be those entrusted with
the task of interpreting and applying the laws of the Torah.
"According to the law that they will teach you, and the judgement they
will instruct you, you shall do; you shall not turn away from the
thing that they say to you, to the right nor to the left."

Shoftim also includes the prohibitions against idolatry and sorcery;
laws governing the appointment and behavior of a king; and guidelines
for the creation of "cities of refuge" for the inadvertent murderer.
Also set forth are many of the rules of war: the exemption from battle
for one who has just married, built a home, planted a vineyard or is
"afraid and soft-hearted"; the requirement to offer terms of peace
before attacking a city; the prohibition against wanton destruction of
something of value, exemplified by the law that forbids to cut down a
fruit tree when laying siege (in this context the Torah makes the
famous statement "For man is a tree of the field").

The Parshah concludes with the law of Eglah Arufah - the special
procedure to be followed when a person is killed by an unknown
murderer and his body is found in a field - which underscores the
responsibility of the community and its leaders not only for what they
do but also for what they might have prevented from being done.
--excerpted from Chabad


A thought for Rosh Hodesh, the New Month:
Eleven months of 5767 have passed.  Elul, the last month of the year,
has commenced.  The month that comes before Rosh HaShanah and Yom
Kippur started this past Wednesday.
What have we learned in the intervening months?  Have we grown?  Have
we changed? Have our perceptions of Hashem (God),ourselves, the Torah
and the world changed for the better?  If we have cried; have we
learned from the experience?  If we have laughed, have we learned how
to share joy?  If we have received gifts, have we given?

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