Page 600 - 24107

24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 19 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Cyan
19
Orchard of Delights # Shoftim
#
by attributing it solely to our own talents and efforts, or by thanking
God for blessing us with the wisdom and abilities to achieve our goals.
The secret of happiness lies in nullifying the ego’s natural tendency
to lay claim to all the credit; instead we must learn to rejoice in the
blessings that God gives us. For in truth, when the ego is given free
reign it knows no limit to the glory it feels is its due, and because of
this it is in essence never satisfied.
The commandment of taking the first fruits to the Temple contains
a beautiful allusion teaching us how to achieve a joyous frame
of mind. In the verse, “and you shall put it [the first fruits] in a
basket,” the Hebrew word used for basket is “tene.” This word has a
numerical value of sixty. Since by the rules of gematria (Kabbalistic
numerology), the number “one” may be added to the sum to represent
the entire word, we find an allusion to the Jewish law dictating that
24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 19 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Magenta
if one substance is accidentally mixed with another one, it becomes
#24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 19 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Yellow
24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 19 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Black
24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 19 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Cyan
null and void if the ratio between them is 60:1.
The “basket” equaling sixty represents a person’s ability to nullify
his or her own lust for honor by bringing the first fruits to God. This
notion is also hinted at by the fact that the Hebrew word for “I”
(ani) has the numerical value of sixty-one. These same Hebrew
letters when interchanged spell the Hebrew word for “nothingness”
(ayin). Thus, the one (1) who puts his first fruits in a basket (60) is in
effect nullifying his ego (ani in a ratio of 1:60) and reaching the level
of selflessness (ayin), the secret of true joy.
600
24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 19 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Black
24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 19 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Magenta
#24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 19 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Yellow
£Torah and Democracy£Torah and DemocracyTorah and Democracy
£
A question that has inspired much debate, especially within the
Jewish religious world, is how compatible democracy and the modern
nation state are with the Torah’s vision of governance and Divinely
revealed law. This is certainly not the venue for addressing the issue
in all its complexity; however, it is interesting to note that a number
of democracy’s fundamental pillars are rooted in this portion. When
and under what circumstances democracy suits the Torah’s vision of
an ideal society will have to be discussed elsewhere.
Democracy in action was envisioned by the founding fathers of the
United States of America to be based on a separation of powers between
the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. Each
was to have strict checks and balances in order to prevent any one
branch of government from completely dominating national life.
Each branch was designed to have especially broad powers in certain
areas and less in others, all with the intention of creating a creative
dynamic and equilibrium in governance. These checks and balances
were enshrined in the law of the land, and, in fact, law and justice
were meant to be the foundations of democracy.
As is well-known, the founders of the United States were heavily
influenced by the Bible. The very notion of a society founded on
law and justice stems from the proclamation at the beginning of our
portion that judges and officers should be present throughout the land
in order to judge the people righteously. This proclamation reaches
its inspiring climax with the words: “Justice [only] justice shall you
pursue that you shall live and inherit the land which God, your God
gives you” (Deuteronomy 16:20). One of the greatest contributions
Torah has made to humankind is the notion of a society founded on
the principles of law and justice. The global influence of this notion
should not be underestimated.
The very notion of governmental checks and balances also finds
an echo in this portion as the Torah mentions the main centers of
power within the Torah’s judicial and governmental branches: the
585