Transcript
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Hello children. In this week's Torah
portion, Moshe teaches the Jewish people
how to build a just and good society in
the land of Israel. He begins with very
important words. You shall set up judges
and law enforcement officials for
yourself in all your cities. What does
that mean? that in every city in the
land of Israel there must be judges,
wise and God-fearing people who know how
to judge fairly
and officers, people who make sure
everyone follows the laws. And the most
important rule, you shall pursue
justice. You must always pursue justice.
It's not enough to be just. Only once
you have to constantly chase after
justice. How should the judges behave?
Moshe gives clear instructions to the
judges. Do not show favoritism. It
doesn't matter if the litigant is rich
or poor, well-known or not. None of that
should influence your judgment.
Do not take a bribe. You must not accept
gifts or money from either side. Because
a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise. A
bribe can blind even the wisest of
people. If the judges do not know how to
rule in a difficult case, they turn to
the great court in Jerusalem. The
greatest sages assemble there. They will
render the judgment. Tell me, is it
possible to accept the testimony of a
single person who comes to tell
something to the court? Moshe teaches an
important law about witnesses. By the
testimony of two or three witnesses, the
accused shall be put to death. What does
that mean? It is forbidden to execute
someone based only on the testimony of a
single witness. At least two witnesses
who saw the crime are required. The
witnesses must be trustworthy people who
do not lie. And what happens if a
witness lies? The Torah says, "You shall
do to him as he intended to do to his
fellow. What he wanted done to his
friend will be done to him." Moshe
continues and teaches the Jewish people
about a special commandment, the cities
of refuge. What are the cities of
refuge? If someone kills a person
accidentally, not on purpose. He can
flee to one of the six cities of refuge.
For example, if someone is chopping down
a tree in the forest and the axe slips
from his hand and hits someone else,
that's considered accidental killing.
The roads to the cities of refuge must
be wide and well paved. At every
crossroads, there will be a sign saying
refuge so that the person who killed
accidentally can reach it quickly.
He stays in the city of refuge until the
high priest dies and then he can return
home safely.
Now Moshe teaches the nation laws about
war. This is important because they are
about to conquer the land of Israel.
Before the battle, the priest stands
before the army and says, "Do not be
afraid and do not panic."
Hashem, your God is going with you to
fight for you against your enemies. The
Torah also specifies who is exempt from
the army.
[Music]
Someone who has built a new house and
has not yet dedicated it. Someone who
has planted a vineyard and has not yet
eaten its fruit. Someone who is engaged
to a woman but has not yet married her.
Someone who is afraid and faint-hearted
because fear is contagious. Even in war,
there's rules. Don't destroy fruit
trees. It's forbidden to cut down fruit
trees during a siege. Only trees that do
not bear fruit may be cut down for the
needs of war. Moshe knows that in the
future, the Jewish people will want a
king to rule over them. So, he specifies
the laws for the king. The king must be
Jewish. He mustn't accumulate many
horses. He must not rely solely on
military power. He must not have many
wives so that they do not turn his heart
toward idolatry. He must not amass
excessive silver and gold so that he
does not become arrogant. And most
importantly, the king must write a Torah
scroll for himself and read from it
every day.
Why? So that he doesn't become arrogant
over the people. Moshe reminds the
nation that the priests and Levites will
not receive a portion of land like the
other tribes.
How will they make a living? From the
sacrifices that the people bring, from
tithes, from the first shearing, the
first wool when the sheep are shorn,
from the forleg, the jaws, and the maw,
special portions from every animal that
is slaughtered. Why is that? Because the
priests and Levites serve in the bait
hamikdash, the temple, and teach Torah
to the people.
Moshe also warns against acts of sorcery
and fortuneelling. It is forbidden to be
an omen reader by clouds or by snakes.
To perform sorcery, to tie amulets, to
speak with the dead, to predict the
future, or to try to communicate with
the deceased.
Why is all this forbidden? Because this
is an abomination before God. Instead of
all this, God will give you true
prophets who will speak to you in his
name. At the end of the portion, there
is a special law. If someone is found
dead in the field and no one knows who
killed him, what is done? They measure
the nearest city from that location. The
elders of that city take a calf that has
never worked, break its neck in a
valley, and declare, "Our hands did not
shed this blood."
Why is this ceremony performed? So that
there will not be innocent blood in the
land of Israel. Every soul is precious
and important. Moshe taught many laws,
and he continues, "How will the Jewish
people prepare to fulfill them? And what
do they have to say about it? will tell
you in the next
