Parashat Shoftim continues on the themes laid out last week in parashat re’eh: how do we build an ideal society and systems of government when we arrive in the holy land? But while Re’eh focused specifically on how we care for the neediest among us, Shoftim deals with society writ large – what systems do we put in place to care for all? Who are our leaders? How do we choose and elect them? How do we hold them accountable?
Noah is going to teach us more this morning about these ideas, but I just wanted to touch on one particular set of verses that sits in the midst of these laws. Amongst the judges and officers that the people are instructed to appoint, God also gives the Israelites permission to submit to God nominations for a king, should they want one, when they enter the land. There are pretty understandable stipulations and restrictions placed on this potential king: They are not supposed to amass too many horses, they are not supposed to amass too many wives, and they are not supposed to amass too many wealthy possessions.
And then comes the first instruction for when that king is eventually seated on his throne
וְהָיָ֣ה כְשִׁבְתּ֔וֹ עַ֖ל כִּסֵּ֣א מַמְלַכְתּ֑וֹ וְכָ֨תַב ל֜וֹ אֶת־מִשְׁנֵ֨ה הַתּוֹרָ֤ה הַזֹּאת֙ עַל־סֵ֔פֶר מִלִּפְנֵ֖י הַכֹּהֲנִ֥ים הַלְוִיִּֽם׃
When he is seated on his royal throne, he shall have a copy of this Teaching written for him on a scroll by the levitical priests.
וְהָיְתָ֣ה עִמּ֔וֹ וְקָ֥רָא ב֖וֹ כּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיָּ֑יו לְמַ֣עַן יִלְמַ֗ד לְיִרְאָה֙ אֶת ה’ אֱלֹהָ֔יו לִ֠שְׁמֹ֠ר אֶֽת־כּל־דִּבְרֵ֞י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּ֛את וְאֶת־הַחֻקִּ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה לַעֲשֹׂתָֽם׃
Let it remain with him and let him read in it all his life, so that he may learn to revere his God, to observe faithfully every word of this Teaching as well as these laws.
The first thing he is supposed to do as king is to personally make sure that a copy of the Torah is written out for him.
Rashi and the Talmud actually think based on the words “Mishneh Torah” that he is supposed to write two scrolls, two copies of the Torah, one that is placed in his treasury and the other that goes out and comes in with him.
Why is he supposed to do this?
לְבִלְתִּ֤י רוּם־לְבָבוֹ֙ מֵֽאֶחָ֔יו וּלְבִלְתִּ֛י ס֥וּר מִן־הַמִּצְוָ֖ה יָמִ֣ין וּשְׂמֹ֑אול לְמַ֩עַן֩ יַאֲרִ֨יךְ יָמִ֧ים עַל־מַמְלַכְתּ֛וֹ ה֥וּא וּבָנָ֖יו בְּקֶ֥רֶב יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
Thus he will not act haughtily toward his fellows or deviate from the Instruction to the right or to the left, to the end that he and his descendants may reign long in the midst of Israel.
The people that we choose to lead us, according to the Torah, must be people of good character. People who not only have read the book of how we should behave, but also keep it with them at all times. People who walk out into the world with their morals and values right on their sleeves. That’s what we are instructed, that’s what we deserve, and that is what we are supposed to set up for ourselves.
The midrash aggadah explains that he should carry the words of the Torah with him like an amulet and hang it on his arm, so he always recognizes and places God before him.
We regular Jews literally do that every single morning when we place our Tefillin on our arms, placing the Torah physically on our bodies to guide us. When I do so myself, I try to take a moment to reorient early in the morning and recognize that I am only a small part of creation and at the same time I have a personal and communal guide to help me walk a path of purpose and meaning in this world. Gayle showed me a really beautiful picture yesterday of Noah wrapped in his Tefillin with Eran at the Columbus Jewish Day School as he led the students in Tefillah and a sneak preview of his Torah portion before his bar mitzvah. It is so special that we have this gem of a school (and amazing teachers!) in our community, and now I want to invite up Mrs. V and Angelo to present Noah with a special gift from CJDS.
Sifrei Devarim 160:3
mishneh”: This tells me only of mishneh Torah (“the repetition of the Torah,” i.e., the book of Devarim). Whence do I derive (that the mitzvah applies also) to the rest of the Torah? From (Ibid. 19) “to heed all the words of this Torah.” If so, why is it written “the mishneh of this Torah”? Because it (i.e., the script) is destined to change (viz. Ezra 4:7 and Daniel 5:8).
Midrash Aggadah, Deuteronomy 17:18:1
וכתב לו. אחת שהיא יוצאת ונכנסת עמו, והוא עושה אותה כמו קמיע, ותולה אותה בזרועו, לקיים מה שנאמר שויתי ה’ לנגדי תמיד (תהלים ט ז ח):
Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Torah Shebikhtav, Shoftim, Torah Ohr 24
The very concept of a king, מלך, is rooted in the emanation מלכות. We have already shown that the Talmudic dictum of דינא דמלכותא דינא, is based on the word דינא being the name of G–d א-ד-נ-י, the same letters as the words דינא.
