SHOFTIM: PURSUING JUSTICE
By: Suri Davis
This week’s torah portion, discusses the judicial system.
Why is justice elusive, that we are commanded to pursue/chase it? We know that the core to any society or community is justice. We understand why we shouldn’t bribe judges to find in our favor, but, again, why is justice so elusive.
From our youth, we ask the question of whether a parental decision is fair. It’s not fair that my sisters get to stay up late, and I have to go to sleep early.
As we age, the feeling sticks with us. G-d, we are so dedicated to you, is the tzoros/problems/difficulties I am experiencing fair?
We have SCOTUS, the Supreme Court of the United States, with nine very scholarly justices. When there is a 5/4 split decision, it means that there are four justices who think that the case/issue can be decided legitimately in another manner.
As I age, and I see the local political situation, I gain greater understanding of how our local judges are nominated by our political parties, not based on experience, wisdom, knowledge, but based on their ability to raise money, their popularity, and simply, their ability to win.
Yet, one might say, that since it is all up to G-d, the Judges opinion or decision is ultimately from G-d, whether learned or not. It raises questions of free choice and the natural daily processes of man, versus heavenly output and intervention.
So often I ponder the blessing in our shmoneh esreh prayer asking G-d to return our judges to the days of yore, that would presume that the ones we have now aren’t of the same caliber. I daven it with kavanah/strong intent especially on days that I go to court. Will today’s outcome be just/learned/fair/equitable, it’s all in G-d’s hands, so really why does it make a difference whether I have today’s judge or whether I have a judge of yore.
I researched the issue, but not satisfactorily. My thought is that when the judges were chosen by G-d or through the process set forth by G-d, we knew that the judges’ decisions were just. I feel that with the judges on the bench now, especially in local courts, we need G-d’s divine intervention in every equitable decision, we need G-dly intervention, which we have to ask for, which isn’t built in to a secular judge, as it came to the judges appointed in the days of the temple in Jerusalem.
President Trump is a challenge to the question of justice/fairness. To pursue justice these days, is really to understand that we must ask justice to come through G-d in His way, and understand, that as life plays out, is in the hands of the actors around us, but, as we pray for it, works out as G-d intends.
Good Shabbos.
-Suri