Parsha “Shoftim” (Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:9) is in large part about “justice, justice you SHALL pursue.” The name of the portion means “judges,” and that is certainly an important part of the instruction, but it is just the beginning.
Somehow, lessons for and about kings (also ignored more often than not) are fundamental, as are things that have to do with war. But it’s things that defile the land, and those in it, from idolatry to innocent blood, that are literally at the ‘heart of the matter.’ Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa Fellowship takes a two-part look at a lesson that is at least up front most striking for how far we have come away FROM anything related to ‘justice,’ certainly in Yahuah’s eyes.
The Erev Shabbat overview:
The Sabbath Day ‘deeper look’ will — AGAIN — upset some. But so does the whole of Torah. Not just because of the volumes of innocent blood, rampant idolatry (even is those who do it don’t know to call it such) and total rejection of what Scripture calls “justice”, but because there is so much here that raises questions neither of the two whoring houses wants to answer.
Up front, Mark cautions about the danger of “over-spiritualization”. There’s certainly a ‘higher bar,’ or burden of proof to take instruction that has an obvious, physical, societal, practical application and say, ‘but wait – there’s more!’. And there is.
We are still in exile because there are still lessons to learn.
Most importantly, there are things we need to be doing NOW.
“Shoftim: Where He chooses to have His Name Dwell”
The combined two-part teaching:
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