Parshas Shoftim: A Different Kind of Strength

A Different Kind of Strength

When I traveled to Israel in November 2023 with a group of rebbitzens and lay leaders, in the aftermath of the unfathomable, we knew we wanted to do anything we could to help.

Truthfully, we also knew there was not much we could do.

Before we went out to meet with families, Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman, from the OU Women’s Initiative shared with us the idea of helping our brothers and sisters hold their pain.

No, we could not take away what happened, or the challenges they were facing – and continue to face during this deeply sensitive and difficult time.

But we could be melaveh them.

We could walk with them and help them hold their pain.

When a burden is shared, even slightly, the load is not as heavy.

By showing up, by saying we care, by not only sending donations but also being present, we hoped to offer some measure of strength.

No One Should Leave Alone

This sensitivity is rooted at the end of the parsha, in eglah arufah.

When an unidentified person is found dead between two cities, the elders of the nearest city must declare:

“Our hands did not spill this blood.”

Rashi explains that they are not denying murder; they are saying that they did not allow this traveler to leave their city without food and levayah – accompaniment.

They may not have caused the tragedy.

But the Torah asks whether they missed an opportunity.

Food sustains a person physically.

Escorting someone says something equally essential:

You are not on your own.

Sometimes people need someone to walk a little way with them – to talk to them, to know their existence matters.

A Just Society

Parshas Shoftim is about building a just society: judges, officers, witnesses, leaders, and laws that protect people.

Woven into those public systems is a deeply personal question:

How does the Torah teach us to treat people?

As we move through Elul, perhaps this is one area for reflection:

Can I be a person who makes it safer for others to be human – and less likely for them to feel alone?

May Hashem help us meet our own fears with honesty, and meet the hidden struggles of others with gentleness, dignity, and care.

Reader’s Reflection

How can we help the people in our lives who may need more – someone to walk with them and help them feel less alone?