By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.
SAN DIEGO — Mindfulness and teshuvah. What else need be the focus at this time of the year, with the beginning of Elul and only several weeks away from Rosh Hashana? This is the “Shabbat of Judges,” in which we learn about the ultimate Judge, before whom we all stand, particularly on the day when the book of our lives opens and our thoughts, our feelings, and our behaviors stand bare.
Is it simply happenstance that this week’s Torah reading, Parashat Shoftim, initiates Elul, a time we mindfully devote to reflecting on our personal growth in mind and body, as well as to teshuvah? No, of course not. We are being pointed to cheshbon hanefesh, to what psychologists often refer to as introspection. Judging is an interesting concept when it comes to emotional wellbeing.
It teaches in the parasha, “You shall appoint magistrates שֹׁפְטִ֣ים and officials וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים for your tribes, in all the settlements that your G-d יהוה is giving you, and they shall govern the people with due justice. You shall not judge unfairly: you shall show no partiality; you shall not take bribes, for bribes blind the eyes of the discerning and upset the plea of the just. Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that your G-d יהוה is giving you.”
First, let’s delve into the concept of “magistrates and officials,” or what Rashi highlights as the difference between shoftim (judges) and shotrim (police officers). Rashi tells us that the judges “decide the law” and police officers enforce the laws. Bartenura on this point asks, “Why does Rashi bother to explain the obvious?” observing that in an earlier parasha, Moshe appointed police officers but did not mention judges at all. Police without judges? In the ethical society we strive for, we are told we have judges who review cases and police who enforce the law in a fair manner. Fairness, justice, permeates this week’s Torah reading as something we are to pursue.
So how are we to judge ourselves? With compassion or with strictness? With a global rating and judging of our total selves, or of our behavior? Are we worms for acting wormily? Are we failures as human beings if we fail a test?
If you check the Hebrew in Shoftim, you will find out that it is written literally: שֹׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙. “Titen lecha” means “appoint for you.”
The eighteenth-century Hasidic commentator Toldot Yaakov Yosef explains these words saying that “lecha”, is intended to say: for you, for yourself. As if to say, you should appoint judges within yourself. Every person has the obligation to sit in judgment of him/herself and his/ her own actions.
When you judge yourself, or far better and psychologically healthier when you judge your behaviors, do you follow Rabbi Simcha Zissel who focused on the weaknesses, the fragilities, the limits of yourself, or do you follow Rabbi Nosson Zvi Finkel who trained his eye to look at the potential of human beings? The former leads to an Elul of fear and foreboding while the latter brings hope and optimism. Perhaps both have value in that being exacting with ourselves while also being compassionate with ourselves, brings balance. This is what cultivating a “growth mindset” is all about.
The story shared by Rabbi Simcha Bunim applies here.
“Everyone must have two pockets, with a note in each pocket, so that he or she can reach into one or the other, depending on the need. When feeling lowly and depressed, discouraged or disconsolate, one should reach into the right pocket, and, there, find the words: “Bishvili nivra ha-olam”, “The world was created for me.” (BT Sanhedrin 37B) But when feeling high and mighty one should reach into the left pocket and find the words: “V’anochi afar v’efer”, “I am but dust and ashes.” (Gen. 18:27)
We can choose the right balance between love and judgment. Where are we living up to our highest, best selves? And where are we falling short of our ideals and the ideals we read of in the Torah? The Iturey Torah asks us to identify what we want to let in through the “gates of our senses,” and what we want to let out. We precisely emulate our True Judge, Hashem, when we nurture and foster love for ourselves… and for others. That’s why it’s not a coincidence that Shoftim comes at this time during the month of Elul right before the High Holidays when we will be judged, when we will be loved, and we can demonstrate love to others.
This is the time especially for the daily practice of hitbodedut, properly judging ourselves, talking openly with Hashem about our transgressions, those behaviors we want to improve to come closer to Hashem. Doing so empowers us, frees us from harmful and improper overall self-rating. We are bringing a balanced, vulnerable, honest evaluation of our behaviors – the elements that help build a close relationship with anyone.
The greatest tool we possess in our tradition for self-assessment and renewal is prayer. The reflexive Hebrew verb l’hitpallel, “to pray,” is often translated “to judge oneself.” We are reminded each weekday this month with the blowing of the shofar to use it as an alarm clock for our souls. As Maimonides teaches us, “The shofar’s call says: Wake up you sleepy ones from your sleep and you who slumber, arise! Inspect your deeds, repent, remember your Creator…Look to your souls. Improve your ways and our deeds and let every one of you abandon his evil path and thoughts.” (Laws of Repentance 3:4).
Notice inspect your deeds, not overall self. Notice abandon your thoughts leading to an evil path. The shofar prompts us to do teshuvah, judging our behaviors and deeds scrupulously. Maimonides teaches us that we must judge our actions as having cosmic consequence, as if we live in a delicate balance, with our decisions, our behaviors having significant impact on the world around us. A judicious new year is our choice in the road we pave.
Contemporary psychology suggests that rating oneself, one’s essential worth, is harmful, in that all definitions of a person’s global worth are arbitrary definitions. We can judge and rate our behaviors, and can strive to improve those acts, but not rate our global human “selves.” Our essence cannot be scored. Hashem is the true Judge, and He does not see us as globally inadequate, worthless, or less worthwhile. We can correctly and healthily feel badly about our behaviors towards others for example, but that does not mean we would be wise to put our entire selves down because of a behavior in which we engage. This is the time to unconditionally accept ourselves while developing a road map to improve our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This is the time to remind ourselves to rate what we do strictly and compassionately strive to change what we do not like or approve of, but not to rate our self, only what we do. This leads to weighty psychological improvement. Contemporary psychological practice encourages the discipline of judging or rating behavior, but not the essential self. We are wise to caution against judging ourselves or others to the point of being judgmental, judging in an exaggerated, global way, lacking compassion.
Let’s use this “Shabbat of Judges” to judge in a balanced way, to bring lovingkindness to all, including ourselves, and to learn to “un-upset” and “un-disturb” ourselves by only rating the behavior of ourselves, not our essence. We leave that to Hashem.
Shabbat Shalom…
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Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D., prepares a weekly D’var Torah for Young Israel of San Diego, where he and his family are members. They are also active members of Congregation Adat Yeshurun. He may be contacted via michael.mantell@sdjewishworld.com