Torah Portion: Shof'tim; Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9

D’var Torah:  This week begins the Hebrew month of Elul, the last month of the Jewish year.  During this time, we begin the process of teshuvah, repentance or return, that culminates on Yom Kippur.  This period should be filled with a serious soul-accounting, where we look deeply into our past actions and choices and really figure out what we did wrong, how we can make amends, and what we can improve in the year to come.  I found a beautiful Torah commentary on this week’s Torah portion, Shoftim, that points us in the direction of teshuvah.  The Torah says, “You shall appoint judges and officials for your tribes in all your gates...” (Deut. 16:18).

     The commentary teaches: “‘Gates’ are openings.  Our faces have many ‘gates’: the eyes, the ears, the mouth, and the nose.  They too need judges.  Our eyes: What the eye sees has a very powerful effect on our behavior.  We must always use good judgment regarding what we choose to see.  Our ears: We are very strongly influenced by what we hear, too.  We must exercise our mind’s judgment and allow our ears to hear only nice things.  We should not allow them to listen to gossip, for example.  Our mouths: We must judge the words that come out of our mouths.  By placing “judges” at all our “gates,” we become worthy that God will judge us favorably on the approaching New Year…” (from Pearls for the Shabbos Table by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson). 

     As the internal work of this season begins, I hope that your eyes, ears, and mouth find things that either challenge you to bring more good into the world, or uplift your spirit to place of beauty and peace—on this Shabbat, and in the year to come.
 
For more insight in this week’s Torah portion, visit urj.org/torah.

Shalom, Rabbi Anni