August 28, 2025 – Dr. Susanna Kokkonen
Shoftim 5785 (2025)
Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9 (Haftarah: Isaiah 51:12-52:12)
Shoftim, the name of this Torah portion means “Judges.” This comes from Deuteronomy (16:18) where God instructed His people to appoint judges and not to pervert justice. This very idea became the cornerstone of western democracy with its judicial system. So in fact our judicial system is based on the Bible. But as is the case often in the Bible, here too the end goal was in purposes of God for the nation.
The nation could reach these purposes through obedience. If they were to do, as instructed, they would live and possess the land.
“Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly. Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (Deuteronomy 16:18-20 NIV)
Worship Practices
One of the most ancient, and one might say, primitive acts of worship, was worship of sun, moon, or stars. Here there is a strong warning against this kind of worship. God did not want His nation to worship objects he had created but the Creator.
In this materialistic world we live in, the Torah contains a stark warning to all of us. We might not worship the sun, but we might worship objects in our lives.
“…and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars in the sky,…” (Deuteronomy 17:3 NIV)
It is also natural that man wants to know what is going to happen to him. For this purpose, the ancient nations had people interpreting omens or engaging in different acts of witchcraft. They wanted to know for example who they should marry.
But the Lord God did not want His people to know all these things. They were only to ask Him for leading for their lives. In fact, the text states that one reason God drove nations out from their lands (and brought the Israelites in) was because they engaged in these practices.
So, if His own people would start engaging in the same practices, what would their end be like?
“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.” (Deuteronomy 18:9-12 NIV)
A Promise
But God’s word is not only full of prohibitions and commandments. He also gave amazing promises to His people. There was going to be warfare against them. God was going to fight with and for them. The enemy might be much stronger, the enemy might have larger forces, but they should not be afraid of him.
“When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.” (Deuteronomy 20:1 NIV)
Forgetting Their Maker
Our prophetic portion relates directly to warfare. It starts with God reminding the nation of Himself. Only if the nation forgot their God, were they to live in constant terror of the oppressor.
“that you forget the Lord your Maker,
who stretches out the heavens
and who lays the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror every day
because of the wrath of the oppressor,
who is bent on destruction?” (Isaiah 51:13 NIV)
The prophet instructed the people (not just once but twice) to rise. What did they need to understand? It was that there had been a punishment, but it was over. God was showing His strength on their behalf.
“Awake, awake! Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
the cup of his wrath,…” (Isaiah 51:17 NIV)
The prophet called Jerusalem to clothe itself with strength and put on garments of splendor.
“Awake, awake, Zion,
clothe yourself with strength!
Put on your garments of splendor,
Jerusalem, the holy city.
The uncircumcised and defiled
will not enter you again.
Shake off your dust;
rise up, sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,
Daughter Zion, now a captive.
For this is what the Lord says:
“You were sold for nothing,
and without money you will be redeemed.” (Isaiah 52:1-3 NIV)
Rashi, the rabbi from the Middle Ages, considered the greatest Torah commentator, explained the expression “without money.” It meant “with repentance.” So they as a nation had wanted and ran for worthless things, but repentance could redeem them.
Again, this is so much like our own materialistic times. So many are running for worthless things believing that their lives will be better with them. Only repentance can redeem that form of idolatry.
What Do We Worship?
Like the ancient prophets, Jesus saw the materialistic ways of the people and warned them. Christians living in the western world are in a great danger of not listening to these warnings. It might be that it is not only about material possessions but a certain position in society, power, or influence.
“What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:26 NIV)
If one is wealthy, Jesus instructs one to not to store wealth but to use it for His Kingdom. This will mean having a treasure in heaven.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV)
The Holocaust and Property
It would be easy to look at the Holocaust and see it as worship of one person: Adolf Hitler. But when we want to understand idolatry and greed during the Holocaust, we realize it was more complicated than that.
First, one person could never have caused everything that came to take place. He presented himself as some kind of Messiah. A lot of people accepted that. But, they had to become active collaborators. They in fact became partners in crime.
The second aspect is that a whole economy developed around the Holocaust. When the Nazis removed Jews from their homes, somebody benefited from the property they left behind. Nazi leaders loved their valuables, such as stolen paintings and jewelry. There were entire vaults discovered after the war full of these treasures of culture. Some property is still missing.
Ordinary people too received some of that property. In camps like Auschwitz, the inmates sorted belongings of the Jews and the system sent much of these items to Nazi Germany’s citizens.
The third aspect is that the SS benefited from slave labor which they hired to German-owned factories. Jewish concentration camp inmates were expendable. So German factories paid the SS for the labor force they used, but they did not have to care for them. The SS benefitted from the economic arrangement.
This all was not just worship of worthless things. This was a ruthless arrangement for several parties’ economic benefit. This all went far beyond enjoying once “treasure on earth.” It clearly shows that greed can completely cloud one’s moral judgment.
I leave it for each one of us to ponder upon these things and their meaning in today’s world.
*For an explanation of the terms see the first Pearls of The Torah Portion Blog.
| Coral and crystal cannot be mentioned, and the striving for wisdom [is more precious] than pearls. | רָאמ֣וֹת וְ֖גָבִישׁ לֹ֣א יִזָּכֵ֑ר וּמֶ֥שֶׁךְ חָ֜כְמָ֗ה מִפְּנִינִֽים: |
Job 28:18 (NKJV)
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:45-46 (NKJV)
Torah Scrolls were attacked and desecrated during the Holocaust. The enduring images of the Kristallnacht (November 9-10,1938) are those of synagogues on fire and Torah Scrolls burning. Some of these desecrated Torah Scrolls disappeared, others were buried. Some were lovingly rescued and are on display in museums in various locations.
