Parashah Shoftim (“Judges”), found in Deuteronomy 16:18–21:9, emphasizes the foundational principles of justice and ethical leadership in Jewish law. Moses instructs the Israelites to establish fair ...

Parashat Shoftim contains 41 mitzvot, 14 positive and 27 negative. Among these are some of the most fundamental rules for how a Jewish state is to be governed, who the leaders are, what their ...

Shoftim: Towards ultimate justice - the Haftarah and the Parasha This is the period of the seven Haftarahs of consolation, irrespective of the Torah reading, but the one read this week has a deep ...

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Our guest this week is Rabbi Lester Bronstein, leader of the Bet Am Shalom congregation in White Plains, NY. Rabbi Bronstein, who holds a Bachelor's degree from Yale University and a Master's in ...

On the eve of battle, most soldiers are afraid, fearful of death or injury, fearful also that they will run, uncertain that they are prepared to kill. Rabbi Akiva, who is usually the most fanciful of ...

A true leader is one who first and foremost rules over himself and his emotions. A person who can be overtaken by negative emotions cannot serve as a leader. In the weekly Torah portion Shoftim, the ...

The power of the legal system is in many ways the closest humans can come to godliness. It is through the rule of law that humans create order out of chaos, rein in the powerful from abusing the weak, ...

The Kohanim and Leviim did not have a share in the Land, it was therefore up to the other tribes to provide for them. In Parshat Shoftim we read about a few of these gifts that are given to the Kohen ...

Anyone who wields power must bear in mind the ethical teachings of the prophets, recognizing that values take precedence over power, and should guide those in power. This week’s Torah portion, Shoftim ...