Rabbi's Sermons

Shabbat shalom!

This week’s, Parashat Shoftim, is the direct continuation of last week's Parashat Ekev. This interesting reading calls for a new society to organize, in a judicial, governmental, and regional framework, according to the laws of the Torah. “Shoftim veshotrim”, judges and police officers, to develop a justice system, and its legislative authority, that would be in accordance with the provisions of the judicial procedures of Jewish law.

From all the laws included within this reading, I would like to focus today, on the mitzva at the end of this Parasha, a mitzva quite peculiar and difficult to understand, called – EGLA ARUFA, “the beheaded calf”. This Torah commandment consists of a KAPARA, or atonement ceremony, which was done when a dead person was found, and it was unknown who or what killed him. The ceremony included the beheading of a calf in a Nachal Eitan, that is, at the edge of any river or a strong stream of water. The ceremony was carried out in the presence of the elders of the city, which lived closest to the place where the victim's body had been found. According to the Torah, the elders of that city appeared before the priests, as witnesses, and would place their hands on the decapitated calf. By doing so, a Kapara was made, an atonement and a declaration of innocence. The text at the end of chapter 21 reads, as follows:

“¹ If one be found slain in the land which the Lord your God gives you to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who had slain him, ² then your elders and your judges shall come forth, and they shall measure the distance unto the cities which are round about him that is slain. ³ And it shall be that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer which hath not been worked and which hath not drawn in the yoke; ⁴ and the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer’s neck there in the valley. ⁵ And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for them the Lord thy God has chosen to minister unto Him and to bless in the name of the Lord; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried. ⁶ And all the elders of that city who are next unto the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley. ⁷ And they shall answer and say, ‘Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. ⁸ Be merciful, O Lord, unto your people Israel, whom You has redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto Your people of Israel’s charge’. And the blood shall be forgiven them. ⁹ So shalt you put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you when you shall do that which is right in the sight of the Lord".

From this text, we can understand, that if a murder or death of unknown circumstances occurred in the middle of the countryside, the blame automatically fell on the entire population, which lived close to where the event occurred. For this reason, that impressive ceremony was carried out, in detail, with intention of making the residents understand, that something so terrible happened in their city. Fifteen hundred years later, the Mishna declared: "משרבו הרצחנים, בטלה עגלה ערופה" - "when the murderers multiplied, EGLA ARUFA was canceled". Why was it canceled? This ceremony was significant, only in a society where murder was an abominable and exceptional case. But apparently, fifteen hundred years later, in a society that was inherently bad, and where murder was so common, there was no use pretending to be “shocked” by a case of an unresolved murder; it would be hypocritical to hold this ceremony in such a society. The people should be aware of the evil in the many murders and only then, there would be room to respond to exceptional cases with an atonement special ceremony.

The Israeli author, Yizhar Smilansky, wrote an article in the newspaper Davar entitled: "The secret of the Jewish existence", 27 years ago, on January 29^th 1988, words that STILL resonate and are relevant in today’s war. He wrote: "The debate today is not about the territories, although it is on the territories; and not about security, despite the fact that it is about security, and not about peace, despite we are talking about peace. What is the issue then?". The strong debate, which exists in the world, is about Jews, and not Israel. It is about things that a Jew is not supposed to do, and about things that everyone can do without restrictions, all kind of prohibitions that others can bypass, but a Jew would not, simply because he is a Jew.

Being Jewish is not an empty word or without meaning. It entails a range of restrictions and prohibitions. There are things that differentiate us from other peoples; not necessarily things that are easy, comfortable or simple, but quite the opposite: commandments which can make our life more difficult, which limit our comfort, require effort, reduce ease and complicate the simple. And I am not talking about mitzvot or Kosher. I refer to justice versus injustice. Or, for example, anything related to the use of physical or verbal ways to attack others.

Lets take for example, the story of the “poor man's sheep” – that the prophet Natan told King David. Or, for example, a murder committed in order to receive an inheritance, as in the vineyard of Naboth. The Torah demands from us in this Parasha: "צדק צדק תרדוף! - Justice, Justice you shall follow!” If these words were a suggestion, and a Jew would be allowed to do everything he wants, just like what any non-Jew does as long as he maintains his power, then we may loose a basic foundation of our Jewish identity, and suddenly being or not being Jewish would make no difference.

So, why to be a Jew?

Many say that the secret of our survival as a people has been, being together; to adapt, reinvent ourselves, protect ourselves from our enemies: tradition! And of course! All that is obvious! All the ordinances of the Torah can be fulfilled in different levels, in a liberal or orthodox way. Each one decides the path within the congregation where they belong. But far more important, there are things that a Jew is forbidden to do, and things that, even though are not forbidden, he should avoid, just because he is a Jew! Such as, Lashon Hara, defamation or ignoring the tears of the oppressed, such as Sinat Chinam - meaningless hatred, or, as oppressing others in a way that one hates being oppressed.

If you are Jewish, the true test of your identity does not rely on the number of commandments that are kept or the prohibitions which are avoided, in fact, nobody will check that outside the walls of the synagogue! far from it! The most significant value is the level of ethics and values you show when dealing with your fellowmen. This obligation, which Smilansky wrote about, is the true secret of our existence, in a modern society having values​, which we all should be proud of.

Today, in the month of Elul, a month of introspection of our lives before God, we must analyze if our actions towards our fellowmen have been a source of pride, so we may reach the day of judgment and atonement – confident that the merits of our actions exceed our faults. May this month of Elul, be a period, in which we achieve closeness and unity with those around us, and through that, with the creator of the Universe. May we no longer need an EGLA ARUFA, or KAPARA, or strange ceremonies, but may we reach Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipur, with a contrite heart, and an ethical and moral life before God. Amen.

Shabat Shalom!

Rabbi David Laor

August 29^th 2025