Whosoever saves a single life, it is as if he saved an entire world. We affirm this principle in our rituals and practices, from the blessings we place on our children at Shabbat, to burial rites, to ...

Parashah Shoftim (“Judges”), found in Deuteronomy 16:18–21:9, emphasizes the foundational principles of justice and ethical leadership in Jewish law. Moses instructs the Israelites to establish fair ...

Shoftim: Towards ultimate justice - the Haftarah and the Parasha This is the period of the seven Haftarahs of consolation, irrespective of the Torah reading, but the one read this week has a deep ...

On the eve of battle, most soldiers are afraid, fearful of death or injury, fearful also that they will run, uncertain that they are prepared to kill. Rabbi Akiva, who is usually the most fanciful of ...

Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its ...

Our guest this week is Rabbi Lester Bronstein, leader of the Bet Am Shalom congregation in White Plains, NY. Rabbi Bronstein, who holds a Bachelor's degree from Yale University and a Master's in ...

A true leader is one who first and foremost rules over himself and his emotions. A person who can be overtaken by negative emotions cannot serve as a leader. In the weekly Torah portion Shoftim, the ...

An analysis of the Torah’s approach to war reveals that war is only undertaken as a last resort. Consider the opening verse in the section dealing with war, “When you come close to a city to fight ...

The power of the legal system is in many ways the closest humans can come to godliness. It is through the rule of law that humans create order out of chaos, rein in the powerful from abusing the weak, ...

Anyone who wields power must bear in mind the ethical teachings of the prophets, recognizing that values take precedence over power, and should guide those in power. This week’s Torah portion, Shoftim ...