FOOTSTEPS
In this week’s Parsha, Shoftim, Moshe teaches us; “When there is an issue that eludes you, you must go to the place where HaShem chose. You will come to the judges and you will do as they instruct from that place”. Would it not be more appropriate to say that “you must go up to the judges in the place where HaShem chose”. Why is the location of the court relevant?
Similarly, we must ask why the Torah underscores to follow the judges’ advice from that place? What relevance is the place?
Our Sages teach us that “The origin of wisdom is fear of HaShem”. We can certainly appreciate that our wise men must fear HaShem to be trustworthy leaders, but how does the fear come to be the origin of their wisdom?
When our Sages talk about wisdom they refer to absolute wisdom. It is the wisdom whose truth is absolute. The way to discern absolute truth is to see if it survives the test of time. Any wisdom that is created by Man will not endure time. Just as Man is finite so is his wisdom. The source of absolute wisdom can only be from a point outside of Man that is not subject to Man’s limitations. There is only One such source – HaShem. Only when one recognizes that all of life, all of existence finds its source in HaShem, only then will he be able to begin collecting wisdom. Without the fear, or awareness of HaShem wisdom does not begin. Allow me to illustrate this point.
There were three travelers walking through a forest on a cold winter day when they came upon a clearing. They decided to play a game. Who could make a perfectly straight set of footprints in the snow from one side of the clearing to the other. The first fellow looked across the clearing and focused on a specific tree and began his walk across the clearing never taking his eyes off that tree. When he got there he saw that his footprints formed an arch. The reason it was not straight was because although he focused on one point, nevertheless, the element of human error was unable to keep his eyes locked on being dead center.
The next fellow understood his friend’s mistake and did not look to the other side at all. Instead, he looked at his feet and made sure that each step was perfectly aligned with the previous step. When he reached the other side he saw that although the footprints formed a relatively straight line, nevertheless, it was a jagged line. His mistake had been due to the human error of not being able to make sure that every step was perfectly aligned. Just a slight angle off will be recognized after taking so many steps.
Finally, the third fellow recognized that he could not rely on his own judgement. Instead he found a perfectly straight line from a source outside of him. He looked across the opening and saw two trees. One was directly in front of the other. When he moved a drop to the right he could see the second tree. When he moved a drop to the left he could again see the second tree. However, if he kept himself in one rigid position, the front tree blocked the view of the second tree. Behold, he used a straight line, the line created by those two trees, to guide him. He then proceeded to cross the clearing keeping his focus on those two trees, always keeping the position that the front tree blocked the view of the second tree. He won the game.
Our Parsha is teaching us that if an issue eludes us, the place to go is the place where HaShem chose. There we will connect to the origin of wisdom. When we get there, the judges who sit in the court will clarify our issue and we must follow what they advise from that place.
Have a very safe and very wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind