Parashat Shoftim: How does the Holy Land Preserve Its Holiness Through Justice?

 

Parashat Shoftim
How does the Holy Land Preserve Its Holiness Through Justice?

What is the Connection Between the Performance of Kindness and Justice in Judaism?

At my mother’s recent 90th birthday celebration, I praised her for embodying the three essential qualities that the prophet Michah identifies as the foundation of Jewish life: “To do justice, to love chesed (loving-kindness), and to walk humbly with your G-d” (Michah 6:8). I also showed how each of these traits has been carried forward through her three daughters, assigning the quality of justice to myself.

From a young age, I was drawn to justice and truth – striving to live in alignment with the Divine Will. This quest led me to embrace the Torah lifestyle and, from then on, continue to seek justice guided by Torah values and a deep commitment to integrity.

As a teenager, I was passionately engaged in causes of human rights, equality, and defending the underdog. Yet, despite my involvement, every manmade system left me dissatisfied. I longed for a framework that combined truth, justice, and kindness while allowing each person to cultivate and share her unique gifts.

My longing found its fulfillment when I encountered the Diaspora Yeshiva community on Mount Tzion. There, I discovered why all the human attempts at social structures had ultimately disappointed me. Without Torah at the center, systems – even noble ones – inevitably falter. The kibbutz model, for example, while idealistic, undermined the family unit. In contrast, the Yeshiva community placed Torah at the heart of life and maintained strong rabbinic authority, which fostered a unity and sense of belonging I had never experienced before.

What spoke to me most deeply was the balance of justice and kindness. Through tzedakah – giving a tenth of one’s income to those in need or for communal projects – I saw how Judaism fuses the two, teaching that justice alone is incomplete without kindness.

This concept is embedded in the word צֶדֶק/tzedek, which unites law and judgment דִּין/din with חֶסֶד/chesed. I also experienced firsthand the outpouring of kindness in daily life – women preparing meals for new mothers, visiting and caring for the sick, and families extending hospitality to singles, of which I was a grateful recipient. Through these acts, I realized that Torah’s vision of justice is not an abstract principle but a way of life, expressed within a community rooted in compassion and care.

What is the Connection Between Pursuing Justice and Possessing the Promised Land?

ספר דברים פרק טז פסוק כ צֶדֶק צֶדֶק תִּרְדֹּף לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה וְיָרַשְׁתָּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר הַשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ:

“Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may live and possess the land Hashem, your G-d, is giving you” (Devarim 16:20).

This pasuk teaches that the pursuit of justice is not only a moral command but a condition for Israel’s survival and possession of the Land. Rashi emphasizes that the appointment of upright judges is itself a merit strong enough to keep Israel alive and settled in its Land. Ibn Ezra underscores that this obligation is especially critical in Eretz Yisrael, for any lack of justice there can prevent the people from inheriting it. The Land, he explains, will not tolerate corruption.

The Netziv deepens this idea, teaching that Eretz Yisrael is uniquely suited to host justice. Its very essence is aligned with righteousness, and therefore only a nation that actively pursues tzedek can remain rooted in it (Emek Davar, Devarim 16:20). This echoes the Torah’s repeated warnings that the Land “vomits out” its inhabitants when defiled by injustice or immorality (see for example Vayikra 18:28). Rabbeinu Bachaya adds that “justice, justice” calls upon every Jew to be upright not only in deeds but also in words, for dishonesty in speech reflects dishonesty in action. He also interprets the doubling as an instruction to pursue justice, whether it brings material gain or loss. This insistence on uncompromising integrity ensures that the community reflects the sanctity of the Land they inhabit.

Finally, the Ramban reveals a deeper mystical layer: the double expression “צֶדֶק צֶדֶק” refers to two dimensions of justice. The first is earthly justice, which enables us to inherit the Land of Israel; the second is the supernal Justice, the hidden light of the World to Come, reserved for the righteous. In other words, true pursuit of justice not only secures Israel’s physical inheritance of the Land but also its eternal inheritance in the next world (Ramban, Devarim 16:20).

Together, these teachings illuminate why tzedek is inseparable from Eretz Yisrael. The Promised Land is not ordinary soil; it is a spiritual inheritance bound to righteousness. Just as Hashem is called Tzedek, so too must His people emulate Him by embedding justice into their courts, their leadership, their speech, and their daily lives. Only then do we merit both “that you may live” in this world and “inherit the Land” – in this world and the next.

What is the Connection Between Appointing Judges at the Gates and Destroying Idolatry?

ספר דברים פרק טז פסוק יח
 שֹׁפְטִים וְשֹׁטְרִים תִּתֶּן לְךָ בְּכָל שְׁעָרֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר הַשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ לִשְׁבָטֶיךָ וְשָׁפְטוּ אֶת הָעָם מִשְׁפַּט צֶדֶק:

“You shall set up judges and law enforcement officials for yourself in all your gates that Hashem your G-d, is giving you, for your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment” (Devarim 16:18).

Parashat Shoftim opens by placing justice at the literal entry points of our communities – the gates. In Eretz Yisrael, where the Divine Presence hovers more palpably, the Torah situates judgment not in some distant hall but at the threshold between public and private life. The Torah verse emphasizes that this must take place “in the gates that Hashem is giving you.” The Torah’s wording in the present tense – “…Hashem is giving you” – teaches that the gift of the Land itself is conditioned on establishing courts and systems of justice within her. Justice is meant to greet us as we come and go, reminding us that every transaction and decision participates in the sanctity of the Land. When the judges at the gates reflect integrity, the gates of Heaven open correspondingly; the earthly portals mirror the supernal ones. Justice in Israel is not only a civic necessity – it is a channel through which the Land breathes holiness into the people.

Yet the Torah immediately commands the opposite obligation as well: “Do not plant for yourself an Asherah… near the altar of Hashem your G-d” (Devarim 16:21). Just as appointing judges cultivates righteousness, uprooting idolatry and corruption preserves the boundaries of holiness, preventing foreign worship from encroaching on the sacred.

The Torah insists on a clear, sanctified space around the altar. In the Land, spiritual geography matters – what we place near the center shapes what flows from the center. By guarding the precincts of holiness, we keep our inner altar clear of mixture and confusion. The mitzvah to build courts of justice and the mitzvah to destroy injustice are two sides of the same covenantal calling – to ensure that the earthly gates mirror the gates of Heaven, and that the center of our lives remains undiluted, devoted solely to Hashem.

What is the Torah’s Vision of Establishing a Holy Nation in a Holy Land

Parashat Shoftim frames the entry into Eretz Yisrael as the establishment of a society rooted in justice and holiness. The Torah calls us to be tamim – wholehearted with Hashem – rejecting the lure of omens and predictions in order to cultivate a life of simple trust, where rain in its time and fruit in its season become lessons in emunah. At the same time, the command to designate cities of refuge maps compassionate righteousness onto the very landscape, teaching that even one who erred must be given a path back to life. These mitzvot, together with others in Parashat Shoftim, reveal that the Land itself is activated and safeguarded through righteous conduct; it can only be held by a people who mirror its sanctity. The Torah warns that when justice and compassion are abandoned, the Land will “vomit out” its inhabitants, but when pursued, these very qualities anchor Israel securely upon it.

In our own days, when the security of Israel is tested and questions of justice weigh heavily, the Torah’s call in Parashat Shoftim reminds us that the Land itself is preserved through righteousness. Only by living with wholehearted devotion, compassion, and integrity can Israel ensure that the holy soil of Eretz Yisrael truly sustains a holy nation, leading to the ultimate victory over our enemies.