Parshat Shoftim
This week’s parashah describes a society led not by one source of authority, but by several.
Kings. Priests. Prophets. Judges.
Each was entrusted with a different responsibility. Each brought a different strength. And none was meant to stand entirely on their own.
Even the king, with all the authority of his position, was required to keep a Torah with him and study it throughout his life.
Not because he wasn’t trusted to lead.
Because being capable doesn’t mean being complete.
Perhaps there is something important in that for all of us.
Who has permission to tell you you’re wrong?
We rely on our experience, our instincts, and the strengths we’ve developed over a lifetime. We should.
But our strengths can also shape what we notice and what we miss.
Sometimes the people who see things differently aren’t getting in the way of our judgment.
They’re helping make it better.
Maybe one of the quiet measures of wisdom is not whether we trust ourselves, but whether we’ve made room for people whose judgment we trust enough to challenge our own.
Who can tell us, “I think you’re missing something,” and know we’ll listen?
A strong person can trust their judgment without making it the only judgment that matters.
As Shabbat approaches, may we have the confidence to trust the strengths we’ve been given, the humility to recognize what we may not see, and the wisdom to value the people who help us see more clearly.
Shabbat Shalom!
