“Judges and officers you shall place for yourself .…” (Devarim, 16:18) A man must consider his ways in all his actions. This is why it then says (in verse 20), “so that you shall live,” for nothing will be lost when man acts with the spirit of justice, (with a reckoning of his actions.) This is discussed in the Holy Zohar (Bamidbar, 178a) on the verse (in Kohellet 9:10), “… there is no action, no account, no knowledge, no reckoning in sheol (the grave, or purgatory) ...” That is, an action done with careful consideration will not fall into sheol. In the beginning of this week’s Parsha we find six warnings corresponding to the “six sides on which thought depends.” They are 1) Judges and officers, 2) Do not plant an asheira tree near the Altar, 3) Do not erect a monument as was practiced by idolaters, 4) Justice, justice, you shall pursue, 5) Do not sacrifice a blemished animal, and 6) The rebellious elder.*We learn from Kabbalah that not only are the six lower attributes born from thought, i.e. the upper three, but, regarding our discussion here, they embody and give voice to thought. [Hagahot Peretz]
שֹׁפְטִים וְשֹׁטְרִים תִּתֶּן לְךָ. הַיְינוּ שֶׁיַּחְשׁוֹב הָאָדָם אֶת דְּרָכָיו בְּכָל מַעֲשָׂיו שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה וּכְמוֹ שֶׁמְּסַיֵּים בַּסּוֹף "לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה", כִּי הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁיֵּעָשׂוּ בְּמִשְׁפָּט לֹא יֵלְכוּ לַאֲבַדּוֹן כְּמוֹ דְּאִיתָא בַּזוה"ק (במדבר קע"ח.) "כִּי אֵין מַעֲשֶׂה וְדַעַת וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן בִּשְׁאוֹל", מַעֲשֶׂה הַנַּעֲשֶׂה בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹן לֹא תִפּוֹל בִּשְׁאוֹל. וְהִנֵּה כָּאן נֶאֱמַר שֵׁשׁ אַזְהָרוֹת נֶגֶד שֵׁית סִטְרִין דְּתַלְיָין בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה, א' שׁוֹפְטִים וְשׁוֹטְרִים, ב' לֹא תִטַּע לְךָ, ג' לֹא תָקִים לְךָ מַצֵּבָה, ד' צֶדֶק צֶדֶק, ה' לֹא תִזְבַּח, ו' זָקֵן מַמְרֵא.
“Judges and officers you shall place for yourself .…” (Devarim, 16:18)
A man must consider his ways in all his actions. This is why it then says (in verse 20), “so that you shall live,” for nothing will be lost when man acts with the spirit of justice, (with a reckoning of his actions.) This is discussed in the Holy Zohar (Bamidbar, 178a) on the verse (in Kohellet 9:10), “… there is no action, no account, no knowledge, no reckoning in sheol (the grave, or purgatory) ...” That is, an action done with careful consideration will not fall into sheol. In the beginning of this week’s Parsha we find six warnings corresponding to the “six sides on which thought depends.” They are 1) Judges and officers, 2) Do not plant an asheira tree near the Altar, 3) Do not erect a monument as was practiced by idolaters, 4) Justice, justice, you shall pursue, 5) Do not sacrifice a blemished animal, and 6) The rebellious elder.*We learn from Kabbalah that not only are the six lower attributes born from thought, i.e. the upper three, but, regarding our discussion here, they embody and give voice to thought. [Hagahot Peretz]