Parsha Shoftim 5767: Where There’s No Just Judgement, There’s No Law! — Revisited 2

The third posuk of our Parsha reads; “Tzedek, Tzedek tierdof…” Righteousness, righteousness (also rendered Justice, Justice) you shall pursue that you may live and inherit the land which the Lord, your G’d gives you.” (Sefer Devarim, Perek 16, posuk 20)

And maybe, at this time in Medinat Yisrael, we have to add emphasis to that term “officers.” For we see how the officers, those who are charged with implementing and carrying out “law”, as well as the “Judges” of “law” repeatedly pervert and bend the “law”; selective enforcement, selective “justice” according to agenda to suit the needs of an evil regime. This regime, as with the previous Sharon regime and with the socialist, leftist elite, controls and has it’s tenacles in every Israeli governmental, educational, economic institution — Top, bottom, upside down, inside out and sideways.

We observed during the Expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif, how Halachot concerning Eretz Yisrael as well as treatment of our fellow Jews and common morality were perverted in order to implement the expulsions and how the “law” and morality were manipulated and perverted by political agenda at Amona, as regarding the conduct a winable war in such a way as to emerge as losers and in ousting Hevron residents from their homes on documented Jewish porperty. We also note how certain forces in Likud party have, repeatedly, B’H thankfully unsuccessfully attempted to oust Moshe Feiglin and Manhigut Yehudit from the party.

And at lower, local, communal levels, we tend toward litigiousness, often without “Tzedek, Tzedek tierdof…” Just look at the other guy cross-eyed and end up knee-jerk either before a Beis Din or in civil court, very often with someone’s reputation, good name, ability to earn a parnossa of any kind and other unforeseen consequences on the line. Often such litigation lacks conclusive evidence as well as forethought as to consequences for the other guy’s welfare and the implications for entire communities even should an accusation be proven false and the accusee vindicated. Such a cavalier attitude with someone else on the line seems revealing of the capsular Gush Katif — me first and my door and my protexia at all costs. The other guy is secondary.

It all runs counter to the overriding more’ which “Tzedek, Tzedek tierdof…” seems meant to exemplify — “V’ahavtah, L’rei’echa Kamocha” — Do for your brother as you would want for yourself.

And so, are we as a collective, somehow, in some way unknowingly, subconsciously complicit in the apparent mida keneged mida of how the Lebanon conflict was conducted and turned out, or in how things have so severely degraded in the year subsequent to the conflict?

Perhaps justice and righteousness in judgement starts with us and with what we abide by or don’t abide by. Do we have strength of sufficient collective self-pride, self-esteem, principles, moral integrity and belief and trust in Hashem to wage the coming campaign stubbornly and tirelessly for justice, righteousness, to go the extra mile, or miles for one’s brethren as one would for one’s self, for Am Yehudi and for Eretz Yisrael?

May we, the B’nai Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently settled and be made totally whole, that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard and the 3 captive Chayalim and the other MIAs be liberated and returned to us and that we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nai Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Yom Hashem V’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bim hay v’yameinu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!