{"id":1363,"date":"2017-08-23T13:03:44","date_gmt":"2017-08-23T13:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/batkol.info\/?p=1363"},"modified":"2017-08-23T13:03:44","modified_gmt":"2017-08-23T13:03:44","slug":"parashat-shofetim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/2017\/08\/23\/parashat-shofetim\/","title":{"rendered":"Parashat Shofetim"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shabbat Table Talk<\/p>\n

Parashat Shofetim \u2013 Erev Shabbat 25 August 2017<\/p>\n

Week of 20-26 August 2017<\/p>\n

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Torah portion: Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Haftarah: Isa.51:12-52:12<\/p>\n

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Download<\/a><\/p>\n

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Two images from this parashat really came to life for me. \u00a0One is of the king \u201cseated on his royal throne\u2026with a copy of this Teaching\u2026. let him read in it all his life. (Dt 17:18-19) This is a powerful reminder that nobody is above the law; rather, the law is above all of us. (And would that all the world\u2019s leaders would show such reverence for their nation\u2019s laws!) \u00a0<\/p>\n

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The other image is of \u201cthe body lying in the field.\u201d (Dt 21:1) A man has been murdered and his identity, and that of his murderer, are unknown. \u00a0Now, the plight of an unknown murder victim could have been dealt with by saying a few pitying words and then providing a decent burial for the corpse. \u00a0Torah commands far more than this. (Dt 21:2-9) First, the distance to the town \u201cnearest to the corpse\u201d is measured. \u00a0It is not explained how the measurement is to be carried out but the fact that it is necessary suggests the remoteness of the murder scene. \u00a0The body is far from any town; yet there must be one town which is the \u2018nearest\u2019 and it is the elders of this town who must do what Torah commands. \u00a0In a ceremony which requires the slaughter of an innocent victim, an unbroken heifer, the elders are to wash their hands over the heifer\u2019s body and declare: \u201cOur hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. \u00a0Absolve, O lord, your people Israel\u2026\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

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Why do the elders have to absolve themselves of blood guilt in such a dramatic fashion? \u00a0One suggestion, favoured by Nehama Leibowitz (p.204), is that it was \u201cto shock,\u201d for \u201cwe know too well the indifference that prevails among people regarding the miseries of others.\u201d \u00a0A fellow human being has been killed: we must pay attention. And why do the elders have to declare that they have neither committed the murder nor seen it done? \u00a0Surely nobody has accused them? One explanation is that it is possible to be indirectly responsible for a murder. \u00a0There is a social responsibility for murder: \u201cThe public as a whole and the city nearest to the slain and its elders are all responsible for the terrible deed committed in the field. \u00a0Their whole way of life, their social order, economic, educational and security institutions are answerable for the murder. \u00a0The guilt is not confined merely to the individual perpetrator. \u00a0The whole of society is directly involved.\u201d \u00a0(Leibowitz, p. 207)<\/p>\n

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A few days before studying these verses I had seen a trailer for the movie Wind River, which included a shot of the body of a woman, in a blue winter jacket, lying face down in the snow. \u00a0The story of the movie centres on the murder of the woman, a Native American belonging to the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. \u00a0\u00a0Such a story strikes home in Canada, where we are struggling to deal with our responsibility for the disproportionate number of missing and murdered Indigenous women in our country. \u00a0It is probable that Native American women are also more likely to be murder victims than other groups of women. Taylor Sheridan, who wrote and directed Wind River, has been quoted as saying: \u201c\u2026there wasn\u2019t one Native American actor who read for me that didn\u2019t begin their audition by saying: \u2018My cousin\u2026\u2019 \u2018My sister\u2026\u2019 \u2018My best friend\u2026\u2019 \u2018My somebody.\u2019 \u00a0They had all been touched by it.\u201d \u00a0(Randall King, \u201cStory Without Borders,\u201d Winnipeg Free Press, August 11, 2017.) \u00a0Yet the wider American public seems little aware of the issue.<\/p>\n

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Perhaps the movie Wind River will serve the same purpose as measuring the distance to \u2018the nearest town\u2019. \u00a0May it make viewers aware of their collective responsibility for \u2018the body lying in the field.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Reflection: \u00a0There are many wrongs that need to be righted in this world but who can tackle them all? \u00a0What issues make you feel that you live in \u2018the nearest town\u2019 and are obligated to do something?<\/p>\n

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Bibliography: Leibowitz, Nehama. \u00a0Studies in Devarim (Jerusalem, n.d.)<\/p>\n

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This week\u2019s teaching commentary is by<\/p>\n

Anne Morton, Winnipeg, Canada<\/p>\n

Bat Kol alum 2010<\/p>\n

Email: anmorton@mymts.net<\/p>\n

[Copyright \u00a9 2017]<\/p>\n

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Parashah commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol. \u00a0\u00a0The commentaries, along with all materials published on the Bat Kol website, are copyrighted by the writers, and are made available for personal and group study, and local church purposes. Permission needed for other purposes. \u00a0Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.<\/p>\n

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Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem<\/p>\n

~~1983-2017~~<\/p>\n

\u201cChristians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Website: www.batkol.info; \u00a0\u00a0Parashat Admin: gill@batkol.info<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Shabbat Table Talk Parashat Shofetim \u2013 Erev Shabbat 25 August 2017 Week of 20-26 August 2017 \u00a0 Torah portion: Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Haftarah: Isa.51:12-52:12 \u00a0 Download \u00a0 Two images from this parashat really came to life for me. \u00a0One is of the king \u201cseated on his royal throne\u2026with a copy of this Teaching\u2026. let him read…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":1364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1363"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}