Parshat Shoftim: Hashem Wants You to Be You

The parsha begins with the words שופטים ושוטרים תתן לך “You shall set up judges and law enforcement individuals for yourself.” From this we learn the Torah is telling us to set up judges לך, for ourselves in the singular. Are each of us supposed to have our own judges? Do each of us have to be part of setting up the communal court system? What is the Torah trying to teach us here?

Some commentators say this pasuk is a hint; each one of us has to set up judges and enforcers to watch over our actions -  to investigate our every move and action and to determine if they are congruent with the ways of Torah.

The sefer Otzrot HaTorah suggests there is an even deeper, hidden message: Each individual has to search within him or herself, consider the path that he/she is on --but  to look only at one's own self and not draw comparisons! Do not look at others, for each individual has different strengths and weaknesses, backgrounds, and challenges. The Torah is teaching us that yes, Hashem will investigate every one of our actions, but not in comparison to another. It is possible an action would be considered a sin for one person, but not for another and vice versa. We are all individuals and our paths to true Torah Judaism will not all look alike.

A few anecdotes to support this idea can be found in the stories from the Talmud and great Torah giants of previous generations.

1. Rav Yerucham Levovitz told the story how Rav Yizchak Belzer would completely abstain from speaking starting at the beginning of Elul straight through until after Yom Kippur. Yet, when Rav Levovitz attempted to do the same, he wasn’t capable; he wasn’t on the same spiritual plain. This week’s parsha is teaching us that if a person takes stringencies upon him or herself  that are above his/her capabilities, it could lead down the path to sin and counter productivity.
2. The Talmud in Chulin (105a) tells the story of Mar Ukva who related  he is inferior to his father, for his father would wait 24 hours after eating meat before eating milk. Mar Ukva could not wait as long as his father, which pained him greatly. One could ask, why couldn't he just wait 24 hours? The answer is this: The Mar Ukva knew his limits and was not on the level of his father.
3. There is a famous story of a Torah giant, Rav Naftoli Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, known as “the Netziv,” who as a young boy was not the strongest student and did not take his studies very seriously. One night he overheard his parents talking about how it was time for him to leave the yeshiva and go to work. “He clearly does not have the capacity to learn Torah on a high level to continue his studies in a serious way; better he go to work and earn an honest living”. After hearing this, the Netziv ran into the room crying and promised his parents he would do better; that he could do it and will do it. After much debate and consideration, The Netziv’s parents allowed him to remain in yeshiva. He went on to became the Gadol Hador, who wrote volumes upon volumes of sefarim, which even today are studied by thousands of Jews around the world.

The Netziv would tell this story to his students, with a powerful message. He would tell over that had he left the yeshiva and gone on to work, he would have been a good observant Jew, but when faced before Hashem at 120, he would have been asked, where is your sefer “Netziv?” Where is your volumes of work known as the “Hoemek Shayla?” I would have answered, what do you mean? I am a simple Jew, not a scholar. How could you expect me to write sefarim? The angels in heaven would have said, but you didn’t become you! You didn’t become what you had the potential to become. You were supposed to write sefarim and become the gadol hador!

The message is strong. We have to be ourselves, not compare ourselves to others. Yet, we cannot sell ourselves short. We need to investigate and explore our strengths so to ensure they are maximized throughout our lifetime. As we move through the month of Elul and prepare for the Yomim Noraim, let us take this message to heart and begin to search our souls. Let us be sure that we are becoming who were destined to become. Furthermore, this week’s parsha is telling us  we have to do it at our own pace, on the derech that is meant for us individually.