"Judges"
Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9; Isaiah 51:12-52:12; Acts 3:19-23
5766
Deut 16:18-19 "Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, tribe by tribe; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons; neither shalt thou take a gift; for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous." These words speak as clearly to us today as they did on the day they were first spoken by G-D. Throughout our walk as followers of Scripture we find times either we or our family members have need for someone to help determine what is righteous regarding interpersonal issues. More opportunities for disagreements arise as a congregation grows larger. Many of these disagreements involved parties who are convinced they are correct in what they are doing or have done. G-D set forth in His Torah that men should be appointed to assist in solving these dilemmas as they arise. Within our congregation we have Elders assigned to each member so that should a conflict arise between two or more members these elders would help to bring restoration to the conflict. These elders are instructed in accordance with Torah to come to their judgment not out of respect of persons but simply according to how G-D's word teaches us. Not according to the position or power of either party but strictly according to Torah teachings. I hope and pray that each of you will feel comfortable in coming to myself or one of the elders should any conflicts arise. We know that as we continue to grow iron will sharpen iron, and in doing so some sparks will fly. Let's all work together through prayer and obedience to G-D's word as we handle each situation so G-D will always receive glory.
5765
This week’s Parsha begins with the rules for the establishment of Shoftim (Judges) in Israel. Specifically it commands against those who would show partiality or preferences towards anyone. I was thinking about this section of Scripture while watching the discussions of the response to the hurricane between different members of our government. As I watched, I heard people arguing back and forth, making accusations of prejudice and even hatred I was amazed that these leaders of our country, our elected officials, seemed to be more interested in what went wrong and who to blame it on then actually doing something to help the people who were in such need of assistance. As I watched these “great minds” point fingers at each other I also watched the response of our nation apart from government programs and elected officers. It has been amazing to watch people who gladly opened the doors of their homes to complete strangers. People from California to Virginia offered help without asking for background checks or whether the person had filled out the proper paperwork. They didn’t argue about who should help whom, or even if they would be the type of people that they would like. They reached into their wallets and pulled out cash in large amounts. People who, just like the rest of us, could have discussed why this event happened and who was responsible and whom to blame it on, but rather they first reached out to pick up someone who really needed help. I don’t know how I would feel if I lost everything I owned all at once. I cannot even imagine how I would feel. What I do know is how I would feel if when an event happened that cost me everything and I received a lecture about personal responsibility instead of help then from those who were able to help. There will be plenty of time for deciding who should have done what and why. I promise all of you that in short time we will be totally sick of hearing about which government agency dropped the ball. What I am really glad about is that this time we won’t have to hear how the believers dropped the ball. People all over the country are watching the response of the believing community. Millions of dollars and many man-hours of labor have been freely given without condemnation, to reach out to those who were not only without homes, but also many without hope. There is plenty of time for judging but while we judge let’s also consider how glad we would be to receive love when judgment is what we deserve. Then while thinking about that, think about how G-D showed us love while we were yet sinners.