Shabbat Greetings
Tonight marks exactly four weeks until we gather to welcome the new year, 5787. Elul began yesterday and the horizon of the New Year is coming into view. We read Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9) which begins with the command: “Judges and officers you shall appoint for yourselves in all your gates.” (16:18) At first glance, this is about establishing a fair judicial system. But many commentators have also heard a deeply personal message. Before we seek justice in society, we are called to establish justice within ourselves. We each need an inner judge, one who can honestly evaluate our actions, motives, and priorities and an inner officer who helps us put those judgments into practice.
With only four weeks until Rosh Hashanah, this Torah portion asks a timely question: Have we appointed those inner judges?The weeks before the High Holy Days can easily become filled with practical preparations such as making travel plans, arranging family meals, buying holiday foods, or perhaps even finding time for synagogue services. Yet Shoftim reminds us that the most important preparation is spiritual. The New Year is not simply another date on the calendar; it is an invitation to stand before God with honesty and humility.
Later in the portion, we encounter one of the Torah’s most famous commands: “Justice, justice shall you pursue.” (16:20) The repetition of the word “justice” has inspired countless interpretations. Perhaps it teaches that the pursuit of righteousness is never complete. We are called to seek justice not only in our communities but also in our own hearts. We are to pursue what is right even when it is difficult, even when it requires admitting mistakes, seeking forgiveness, or changing long-established habits.
This is precisely the work that awaits us during Elul and the Days of Awe. Four weeks gives us enough time to begin, not frantically, but intentionally. We can ask ourselves: Are there relationships that need healing? Words that need to be spoken? Gratitude that has gone unexpressed? Habits that no longer reflect the people God is calling us to become?
The High Holy Days are not meant to surprise us. The Torah gives us this season as an opportunity to prepare before the shofar calls us to awaken. The best time to begin the work of teshuvah is not on Rosh Hashanah itself, but now.
As we leave this Shabbat, perhaps we can hear Shoftim’s opening command as a gentle invitation: appoint wisdom as your judge, discipline as your officer, and compassion as your guide. Let the next four weeks become a journey of reflection, prayer, generosity, and reconciliation. Then, when the shofar sounds on Rosh Hashanah, we will not be hearing a call to begin the journey, but a joyful invitation to continue the one we have already started.
SHABBAT SHALOM