CHOCHMAS NASHIM:DEVARIM: DAYS OF YORE
By: Suri Davis
In Ethics of Our Fathers, there are two different sayings which I want to focus on this week. The first is Fortunate is a good person, and fortunate is his neighbor. The second is Establish for yourself a Rabbi, buy yourself a friend.
These verses reveal just how very important it is for the community to have righteous Rabbis who lead their community in the ways of Hashem/G-d. Stay the moral ground with insight and wisdom and kindness and insight to know how to reach out to their congregants and followers to persuade them to adhere to torah law.
Having good neighbors and friends refers to peer pressure and positive influence on a regular basis. When those around us and those with whom we associate are good people, they influence us to do good as well. The opposite is true as well.
Why is this so important and how does this relate to this week’s torah portion. I point you to the end of the haftorah, the haftorah for which this special Shabbos is named. This week’s Shabbos is known as Shabbos Chazon, named after the haftorah of Yeshayah who warned the Jews of the consequence of their continued sinning.
At the end of the haftorah, Yeshaya states, וְאָשִׁ֤יבָה שֹׁפְטַ֙יִךְ֙ כְּבָרִ֣אשֹׁנָ֔ה וְיֹעֲצַ֖יִךְ כְּבַתְּחִלָּ֑ה אַחֲרֵי־כֵ֗ן יִקָּ֤רֵא לָךְ֙ עִ֣יר הַצֶּ֔דֶק קִרְיָ֖ה נֶאֱמָנָֽה׃
I will restore your magistrates as of old, And your counselors as of yore. After that you shall be called City of Righteousness, Faithful City.”
צִיּ֖וֹן בְּמִשְׁפָּ֣ט תִּפָּדֶ֑ה וְשָׁבֶ֖יהָ בִּצְדָקָֽה׃
Zion shall be saved in the judgment; Her repentant ones, in the retribution.
Compare this to one of the blessings we say three times a day in our shmoneh esreh:
ימי חול, תפילת שחרית, עמידה, משפט
הָשִׁיבָה שׁופְטֵינוּ כְּבָרִאשׁונָה וְיועֲצֵינוּ כְּבַתְּחִלָּה. וְהָסֵר מִמֶּנּוּ יָגון וַאֲנָחָה. וּמְלךְ עָלֵינוּ אַתָּה ה’ לְבַדְּךָ בְּחֶסֶד וּבְרַחֲמִים. וְצַדְּקֵנוּ בַּמִשְׁפָּט. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, מֶלֶךְ אוהֵב צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט: בעשי“ת – הַמֶּלֶךְ הַמִשְׁפָּט:
Restore our judges as in the beginning, and our counsellors as in the beginning times, remove from us sorrow and groaning, and reign over us, You, O Lord alone, and in loving kindness and mercy, justify us in judgment. Blessed are You, O Lord, * the King Who loves righteousness and judgment. (From Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur replace the conclusion with the following: King of Justice.)
I have always wondered why we ask G-d to remove sorrow and groaning in this paragraph specifically referencing justice versus let’s say asking for this in the paragraph for healing the sick or returning to Jerusalem.
Rav Schwab, in is sefer on Prayer states that advisors refer to the nevim/prophets, whose job it is to keep the Jews on their meritorious paths. We learned early on in the Torah, that G-d intended to run the world with absolute mishpat/judgment. But if that were the case, we would all sin, and be punished constantly. G-d had to temper justice with righteousness and mercy and kindness. Not true judges in place in the world today. Many believe in merciless judgment, with no consideration to what is ultimately right. Which is why we yearn for G-d to be our sole king and judge us Himself.
If we have these advisors as in the days of yore, then we would not have a need for courts and judges, because people would treat each other with respect, and do G-d’s commandments. If we do G-d’s commandments then Moshiach/Messiah will come and redeem us and bring world peace. We would need no more intermediaries between man and G-d.
Every day we pray for the return of real leaders who can lead worldwide Jewry back to G-d so we may be redeemed. It is our hope as we deny ourselves some pleasures during these nine days which lead up to the fast of the Ninth of Av, that we meditate and ponder how we can improve ourselves, for our own sake, and for the sake of worldwide Jewry and humanity, world peace, unity and devotion to G-d.
Have a meaningful nine days.
Have a good Shabbos.
-Suri