Shoftim-Should we “See No Evil Hear No Evil Speak No Evil” ?

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YAKIRA YEDIDIA

Yakira wears many hats. An educator specializing in positive psychology and life coaching. The founder of Hebrew Guru, and Mensch World Books. The Author of LEARN TO READ HEBREW IN 18 STEPS Book series and How to Be a Jew Today: Think, Say, Do.

Can we “See No Evil Hear No Evil Speak No Evil” ?

In parashat Shoftim (Judges) Mosheh instructs the Israelites to appoint judges and law enforcement officers in every city, a basic societal structure for the Israelites. “According to the law that they will teach you, and the judgment they will instruct you, you shall do; you shall not turn away from the thing that they say to you, to the right nor to the left.” The parashah sets out rules for judges, kings, Levites, prophets, cities of refuge, witnesses, war, and unsolved murders.

Every city where at least 120 Jewish man live, should have a sanhedrin of 23 members, to enforce the law of the Torah. The parashah begins with the mitzvah to appoint judges “at all your gates”. Gates are openings that needs to be guarded and protected.

Can we “See No Evil Hear No Evil Speak No Evil”? There are various meanings ascribed to the three wise monkeys and the proverb including associations with being of good mind, speech and action. The phrase is often used to refer to those who deal with impropriety by turning a blind eye. What about our own personal judgment? Making judgments versus Being judgmental.

Being judgmental is being perceived as a negative thing. We all want to see ourselves as smart, kind, patient, and forgiving people most of the time. But the truth is that we aren’t. There is a big difference between making judgments and being judgmental. Making judgments comes from a balanced and neutral mind. On the other hand, being judgmental comes from an imbalanced and reactive mind that is seeking to protect itself from being hurt by others. Being a judgmental person essentially means thinking, speaking, or behaving in a manner that reflects a critical and condemnatory point of view. Being judgmental isn’t all bad. When our inner Judge is balanced, we are able to make clear decisions and avoid potentially dangerous situations.

What about the “gates” of our faces; the eyes, the ears, the mouth, and the nose? The Torah teaches us that in order for us “See No Evil Hear No Evil Speak No Evil” they too need “judges”.

Our Eyes– Do you see the Cup Half Full or Half Empty? Do you strive to see the good in all people?

Our Ears– We should avoid listening to Lashon Hara. There are so many reasons why gossiping is bad but it still happens on a regular basis. We’ve all been victims of gossiping, yet still turn around and gossip about others. It’s a vicious cycle and it needs to stop.

Our Mouths– What do you eat? what words come out of your mouth?

As we welcome the month of Elul, it is our time, to take the time for a deep soul searching, reflecting on the way we were, the way we are, and the way we would like to be, as a preparation for the coming Day of Judgement, ראש השנה, and Day of Atonement, יום כיפור During the month of Elul we wishes that the recipient have a good year. The standard blessing is “K’tivah VaChatima Tovah” (“a good writing and sealing [of judgement]”), meaning that the person should be written and sealed in the Book of Life for a good year. Tradition teaches us that on Rosh Hashanah, each person is written down for a good or a bad year, based on their actions in the previous one, and their sincere efforts at atoning for mistakes or harm. On Yom Kippur, that fate is “sealed.”

By placing “judges” on our “gates”, guarding what we see, hear and speak, by being positive and connecting to high frequencies like LOVE, and shy away from low frequencies like HATE, we will find healing to our wounded souls. May we all “See No Evil Hear No Evil Speak No Evil” and sealed in the book of life. Amen.


Photo credit Three wise monkeys on the beach in Barcelona Simon James from Darlington, UK – Three Wise Monkeys



42 Mitzvot in parashat Shoftim


1. Appoint judges Deut. 16:18
2. Not to plant a tree in the Temple courtyard Deut. 16:21
3. Not to erect a pillar in a public place of worship Deut. 16:22
4. Not to offer a temporarily blemished animal Deut. 17:1
5. Act according to the ruling of the Sanhedrin Deut. 17:11
6. Not to deviate from the word of the Sanhedrin Deut. 17:11
7. Appoint a king from Israel Deut. 17:15
8. Not to appoint a foreigner Deut. 17:15
9. The king must not have too many horses Deut. 17:16
10. Not to dwell permanently in Egypt Deut. 17:16
11. The king must not have too many wives Deut. 17:17
12. The king must not have too much silver and gold Deut. 17:17
13. The king must have a separate Sefer Torah for himself Deut. 17:18
14. The Tribe of Levi must not be given a portion of the land in Israel, rather they are given cities to dwell in Deut. 18:1
15. The Levites must not take a share in the spoils of war Deut. 18:1
16. To give the shoulder, two cheeks, and stomach of slaughtered animals to a Kohen Deut. 18:3
17. To set aside Terumah Gedolah (gift for the Kohen) Deut. 18:4
18. To give the first shearing of sheep to a Kohen Deut. 18:4
19. The work of the Kohanim’s shifts must be equal during holidays Deut. 18:6-8
20. Not to go into a trance to foresee events, etc. Deut. 18:10
21. Not to perform acts of magic Deut. 18:10
22. Not to mutter incantations Deut. 18:11
23. Not to attempt to contact the dead Deut. 18:11
24. Not to consult the ov Deut. 18:11
25. Not to consult the yidoni Deut. 18:11
26. To listen to the prophet speaking in His Name Deut. 18:15
27. Not to prophesize falsely in the name of God Deut. 18:20
28. Not to be afraid of killing the false prophet Deut. 18:22
29. Designate cities of refuge and prepare routes of access Deut. 19:3
30. A judge must not pity the murderer or assaulter at the trial Deut. 19:13
31. Not to move a boundary marker to steal someone’s property Deut. 19:14
32. Not to accept testimony from a lone witness Deut. 19:15
33. A witness must not serve as a judge in capital crimes Deut. 19:17
34. Punish the false witnesses as they tried to punish the defendant Deut. 19:19
35. Appoint a priest to speak with the soldiers during the war Deut. 20:2
36. Not to panic and retreat during battle Deut. 20:3
37. Offer peace terms to the inhabitants of a city while holding siege, and treat them according to the Torah if they accept the terms Deut. 20:10
38. Not to let any of them remain alive Deut. 20:16
39. Destroy the seven Canaanite nations Deut. 20:17
40. Not to destroy fruit trees even during the siege Deut. 20:19
41. Break the neck of a calf by the river valley following an unsolved murder Deut. 21:4
42. Not to work nor plant that river valley Deut. 21:4

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The 613 Mitzvot

The commandment of the tzitzit. The word tzitzit is related to the root word lehatzitz- to look, therefore a tzitzit is an object at which we look . In addition, the word tzitzit numerical value is 600. The tzitzit has 8 threads and 5 double knots in each corner (8+5=13), thus a tzitzit represents the 613 mitzvot in the Torah.

In The Torah there are 613 commandments, mitzvot, also known as the Law of Moses (תרי״ג מצוות‎, taryag mitzvot). The 613 mitzvot are first recorded in the 3rd century CE, when Rabbi Simlai mentioned it in a sermon that is recorded in Talmud Makkot 23b.

The 613 commandments include 248 “positive commandments”, to perform an act (mitzvot aseh), and 365 “negative commandments”, to abstain from certain acts (mitzvot lo taaseh). The negative commandments number 365, which coincides with the number of days in the solar year, and the positive commandments number 248, a number ascribed to the number of bones and main organs in the human body.

Though the number 613 is mentioned in the Talmud, its real significance increased in later medieval rabbinic literature, including many works listing or arranged by the mitzvot. The most famous of these was an enumeration of the 613 commandments by Maimonides, The Rambam.

Many of the mitzvot cannot be observed now, following the destruction of the Second Temple, although they still retain religious significance. According to one standard reckoning, there are 77 positive and 194 negative commandments that can be observed today, of which there are 26 commands that apply only within the Land of Israel. Furthermore, there are some time-related commandments from which women are exempt (examples include shofar, sukkah, lulav, tzitzit and tefillin). Some depend on the special status of a person in Judaism (such as kohanim), while others apply only to men or only to women. According to Rambam Organized by Parshah. based on Wikipedia and http://www.vaadrv.org/rambam613mitzvot.asp ONE BIG IMPORTANT NOTE WHEN USING THIS LISTING: This listing is not all inclusive. Rambam may site multiple sources for a mitzvah is his works but this list currently only gives one source for each mitzvah.

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The Priestly Blessing

Check out YedidYah “The Priestly Blessing” Birkat Hakohanim. Music by Rabbi Yakira Yedidia https://youtu.be/YNE11QdEMN0

יְבָרֶכְךָ יהוה, וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ- May the LORD bless you and guard you
יָאֵר יהוה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וִיחֻנֶּךָּ -May the LORD make His face shed light upon you and be gracious unto you
יִשָּׂא יהוה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם- May the LORD lift up His face unto you and give you peace

Yevarechecha Adonai, V’Yishmerecha
Ya’er Adonai Panav Eleycha, ViChoneka
Yisa Adonai Panav Eleycha, V’Yasem Lecha Shalom
(Number 6:24-26).

Check out YedidYah “The Priestly Blessing” Birkat Hakohanim. Music by Rabbi Yakira Yedidia https://youtu.be/YNE11QdEMN0

Check out YedidYah Psalm 96 “Yiram Hayam” Music by Rabbi Yakira Yedidia https://youtu.be/aTBD4i9nvXw


This blog article was inspired by chabbad.org, Sefaria.org, Wikipedia.org,


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