03 Sep Parashat Shoftim- Decision and Execution

In the opening verse of Parashat Shofetim, Moshe exhorts Benei Yisrael to appoint “Shofetim Ve’shoterim” – judges and enforcers – in every town and city. Wherever there is a Jewish community, its members must establish and maintain a Bet Din to decide matters of Jewish law, and hire enforcers to ensure compliance with those laws. The Sefat Emet (Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh Leib Alter of Ger, Poland, 1847-1905) made an insightful and relevant observation concerning the different roles served by the Shofetim – judges – and the Shoterim – enforcers. The judges are responsible for determining the law. They must analyze, assess, deliberate and consider all angles of the issue at hand, and then render a final decision. The Shoterim, by contrast, are not appointed to decide the law; their job is merely to enforce it. Regardless of their opinion regarding the judges’ conclusions, they are assigned the task of executing those conclusions by ensuring that the constituents comply with the established law. Throughout a person’s life, he must play the roles of both Shofet and Shoter, judge and enforcer. Each individual must reach decisions as to what is right and wrong, what he needs to do and what he must refrain from doing. Then, once the conclusion has been reached, a person faces the task of executing and implementing the decision. Unfortunately, many of us have a tendency to fulfill our role as Shofet without carrying out the task of Shoter; we reach the proper decisions, but we fail to implement them. So often people hear a Rabbi speak about a certain topic and acknowledge that what he says is true, that the changes he demands are indeed warranted. But then, when the time comes to implement those changes in their lives, they reconsider and begin questioning and doubting. Rather than doing their job of Shoter, to execute the proper decision, they act as a Shofet to avoid making the necessary changes in their lives. Acknowledging what is right and what is wrong is only half the job of an observant Jew. The second half, which is generally the more difficult stage, is to make the effort and sacrifices necessary to implement our decisions, to have the courage and conviction to change direction and lifestyle for the sake of actualizing our full spiritual potential.