Dvar Torah in Memory of Shlomo Henoch Ben Mordechai Chaim, 2012

This week’s parasha is Shoftim. It begins with an admonition to the Jewish people, “Shoftim v’Shotrim Titen le-cha bechol shearecha.” Judges and Officers shall you take in all of your (gates) cities. The next 2 pesukin deal with specifics, such as not to favor one individual over another, not to take bribes, and not to pervert justice. “Tzedek Tzedek tirdof”; you should pursue justice, so that you will live long and prosper in the land that G-d gave to you.

These three psukim are a very clear foundation for building a society. The need for judges who are not corrupt, for officers who enforce the laws effectively and fairly, is a basic need in any society. The Netziv, Rav Naphtali Tzvi Berlin, comments on the first pasuk that we learn that for each city, it is the responsibility of the head of that city to oversee the municipal courts and ensure they are fair and proper, and if not, he must bear the responsibility. The need for fairness and upright behavior is not only for those in the justice system, but also, more importantly, for the leaders. We don’t have to look far to see that today, those who purport to lead us are also those that are most frequently implicated in scandal. It is not only a major blight when leaders are not trustworthy, it is highly demoralizing to society. If no one in leadership or the justice system can be trusted, why should our personal behavior reflect anything else?

The answer the Torah gives us comes from the wording of the pesukim. It says Shoftim v’Shotrim Titen le-cha bechol shearecha; lecha and Shearecha are in the singular. Normally shouldn’t it say you (plural) should install judges in all your cities? However the singular is used. The Netziv points out that the singular refers to the whole House of Israel (Knesset Yisrael) as one singular unit. In fact, when the Torah refers to curses for Israel, it is usually also written in the singular. We are all one unit; we carry both individual responsibility and collective responsibility. Each one of us has the responsibility to ensure that the justice system is fair and administered properly. And to ensure that we must set individual examples of honesty, treating each other properly and judging each on their merits.

This Sunday, the 8^th of Elul is the Yahrtzeit of Shlomo Henoch ben Mordechai Chaim, our dear father and grandfather, dear husband and brother. Sid set a tremendous example for us all in his honesty and how he treated people. I remember many in the business world telling me how Sid was the only one to speak to them like a person, to treat them kindly, to really be human. I remember one summer when I worked in the Mayfair stores that Dad managed, coming to work one and finding that an employee was no longer there. I asked what happened to “John”, and was told “ I caught him with his hand in the till”. There was no room for “Everyone’s doing it” or “It’s not really my money, let the company worry about it”. Honesty was the driving force that made Dad unique in the game. I would tease him later on that being so honest may have been a disadvantage in the business world filled with sharks, but he would have never had it any other way.

As we remember at the time of this second Yahrtzeit, the message of honesty and upright behavior, the example of fairness and proper treatment of others that is the foundation of society should always remain with us. This is Sid’s legacy and it is an everlasting teaching that we should continue to pass down to all generations.

Tehe Nishmato Baruch: His memory and soul shall always be a blessing for his entire family.

Shabbat Shalom