Torah Portion of the Week

Building Character through the Themes of the Weekly Torah Portion

Torah

Deuteronomy 16:18–21:9

Next Reading:

August 30, 2025

6 Elul, 5785

Haftarah

Isaiah 51:12–52:12

שֹׁפְטִים וְשֹׁטְרִים תִּתֶּן־לְךָ בְּכָל־שְׁעָרֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ לִשְׁבָטֶיךָ וְשָׁפְטוּ אֶת־הָעָם מִשְׁפַּט־צֶדֶק׃

Sho-f’tim v’sho-t’rim ti-ten–l’kha b’khol–sh’a-rei-kha a-sher A-do-nai E-lo-hei-kha no-ten l’kha lish-va-tei-kha v’sha-f’tu et–ha-am mish-pat–tze-dek.

Judges and officers shall you set up in all your gates, which the Lord your God is giving you, tribe by tribe; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.

Deuteronomy 16:18

Shoftim means “judges.” Justice, justice shall you pursue—this is the theme of this week’s Torah portion.

Contained in Shoftim is the prohibition against needless waste and destruction. This is demonstrated in the law which cautions the Israelites not to destroy fruit trees while laying siege on a city (Deut. 20:19–20). It is from this verse that the commandment of bal tashchit (do not destroy or waste) is derived.

Bal tashchit is a central, ethical principle in Jewish law. While it is perfectly fine to use God’s creation and make use of its natural resources, it is forbidden to unnecessarily destroy anything that benefits humanity. This law is not limited to fruit trees only. Needlessly breaking utensils, tearing garments, killing an animal for convenience or for no good reason, demolishing a building, wasting food, and stopping up a well are prohibited under the law of bal tashchit. It is also prohibited to waste water, energy, clothing, and money.

Look at the colors all around you. The world God created is beautiful. By learning not to wantonly destroy, we are learning to respect and value all creation. It teaches us self-control so that we can be people who build rather than people who destroy.

It is in this portion that the Torah famously compares man to the tree of the field:

“For a person is like a tree of the field.”

(Deuteronomy 20:19)

A Policy against Wastefulness

When we consume resources in a sensible way without wasting, we become more conscious about what is around us and more thankful for what we’ve been given. What are some of the things you can do to help take care of the precious resources and life that God has created in this world?

Conserve water. Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. Fix leaky faucets. Take shorter showers. Turn the water off while shaving or lathering shampoo. Install water-efficient fixtures (faucets, shower heads, low-flow toilets) and appliances (dishwaters and washing machines). Save rainwater to water houseplants.

Use less electricity. Unplug your phone after it’s done charging. Unplug electronics that are not being used. Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Dry your laundry outside when possible.

Reduce clothing waste. Make a quilt out of old clothing. Wash carefully and treat stains promptly. Fix buttons and patch holes when possible. Repurpose old clothing by adding embellishments, cutting sleeves, turning them into produce bags, and even making scarves out of them. The internet is full of creative ideas on how to repurpose old clothing.

Be careful not to unnecessarily waste money. Make a food plan before going to the grocery store to avoid wasting both money and food. If you eat out a lot, choose one or more days a week to cook at home instead. Don’t go shopping on a whim. Create a savings plan.

Be kind to the animals and insects. Every living creature, from the largest blue whale to the tiniest firefly, is part of God’s precious creation. We are to treat them kindly, humanely, and with compassion.

Every little change and decision we make to champion a healthy, balanced world can have a domino effect on our families, the people around us, and our planet at large.

A Glance of Hebrew | Shoftim STBM Messer

Pronunciation Guide for Transliterated Hebrew Words

a

[a] as in arm

ai

[ai] as in Thailand

e

[e] as in red

ei

[ei] as in eight

i

[i] as in ski

o

[o] as in score

oi

[oi] as in oil

u

[u] as in rule

ui

[ui] as in gluing

ch/kh

[ch] as in the Scottish loch

g

[g] as in good (not as in giant)

tz

[ts] as in hats

‘

short “eh” or “uh” sound

The Hebrew Scriptures in this text have been derived from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC), and the English translation is based off of the JPS 1917 Tanakh.