Shofteem is the Sedrah in which we are instructed as to the selection of the various judges, and leaders of the Jewish People. The guidelines for how to judge people, the importance of impartiality, fairness and righteousness are similarly detailed and expounded upon. What is clearly stated but often overlooked in favor of, perhaps, the more interesting parts and pieces of judging, such as “an eye for an eye,” is the reason given for doing all the work of establishing leaders and putting judges in place: “that you may live and inherit the Land, which the Lord your G-d gives to you.” That is, by following the ways of justice, we, the Jewish People, will be allowed to live in the Land of Israel. What we learn as well is that should we fail to follow the guidelines laid out for us in Shofetim, the opposite would be our fate; i.e. we would not be worthy of nor allowed to live in the Land; i.e. the Jewish People would be expelled from the Land of Israel.

The Haftara, taken from the Book of Isaiah, resonates with the message of the Sedrah because the Prophet tries to encourage the People to trust the Lord and to be comforted in the knowledge that by observing the Lord’s commandments they will again be qualified to live in the Land of Israel from which they had been ejected for having failed to follow the requirements established by the Lord.

In my water color painting, Shofteem, I have tried to capture the flavor and magnitude of the Sedrah and of its companion Haftorah. Those who study the Sedrah and the Haftorah will see a number of the key aspects represented pictorially: The Land with three cities of refuge visible in the distance, the grass, which is a sign of comfort representing the end for any enemies of the Jewish People when the Jewish People adheres to the rules of the Lord. Also, in the distance is the dwelling of the King, who must be chosen from among the Jewish People; i.e. no foreigner can serve as King over the Jewish People. The people standing before a court of three judges has one person among them singled out by having been represented in silhouette, as if he may be the one to the chosen one to be the King. However, the silhouetted person may also be seen as a person who differentiates him or herself by the evil he or she does, perhaps by worshiping idols or by following the ways of other peoples, which are in direct counter distinction to the ways of the Lord. Such individuals are to be removed from the midst of the people. The relationship between the People of Israel and the Lord is emphasized by the phrase “You are My People.”

Living in the Land of Israel is the reward to which the Jewish People are and will be entitled for as long as they stay the course outlined in Shofteem.

Drew Kopf
Elul 5, 5768 corresponding to September 5, 2008