shoftim

Shabbat Shalom!.

Parshat Shoftim (Deuteronomy

16:18-21)

"Justice, justice shall you pursue,

that you may live and possess the land the

L-rd your G-d is giving you. According to

the law they instruct you and according to

the judgment they say to you, you shall do; you shall not divert from the word they tell you, either right or left."

Shoftim deals primarily with the administration of justice in the land the Israelites were about to inhabit)It is the establishment of a system of leadership needed to ensure the conditions for a civilized society. Justice should be administered righteously and impartially, and leaders need to be true models of human potential.

According to the torah, the process of passing judgement must be righteous, because it is the process that lies in the hands of human beings, the results are up to Hashem. The torah tells us that if we have questions, we should go to the “judge that will be in those days.”

There are times in our lives that we are faced with dilemmas that we need to look towards others inorder to help us through. My family certainly experienced this,this past summer .My daughter gave birth to triplets after being on bed rest for almost 3 months. I would like to express the gratitude and thanks to the many unsung heroes who were there to help my daughter and her husband through this emotional journey,and to those who continue to care for them. The Gemora states that Rabbi Akiva was once asked what does G-d do all day? Rabbi Akiva answered G-d acts as a "matchmaker". The basic understanding of this answer is that he matches up couples for marriage, but a deeper way of understanding this, is that he matches up the right people together so that all the pieces fall into place. You need a "Matchmaker" one who allows all the circumstances to work out in everything we do in life in order for something to succeed, if Hashem deems it so.

In our personal case the right people were the doctors and nurses of the NICU and labor and delivery who were “matched up” with this family inorder to bring 3 healthy babies into this world. As we enter the new month of Elul we have much to be thankful for, and there are many whom we can thank for their guidance and leadership. We learn from the Torah that the power of “hakoras hatov” (the willingness to recognize the good that we receive from others) is limitless. When we truly appreciate the good that people do for us, we come to care about their welfare, and our thankfulness and appreciation is wholehearted.

“you shall be wholehearted with Hashem your G-d “(18:13)

The torah encourages us to not lose hope, we should do our best and Hashem does the rest if it is to be. Elul is the month when we add the 27th Psalm of King David to our prayer services twice daily. In this Psalm, King David prays, "One thing I ask ... is to dwell in the house of God all the days of my life."

Elul awakens our inner faith, hope and belief in a better future. Every challenge, every war must begin with absolute fortitude and belief in victory. Faith that we will prevail. During this month of Elul as we approach Rosh Hashanah "the King is in the field." This is a time when G-d's ear and mercy are accessible to all.

"Make Me an opening the size of the eye of a needle, and I shall make for you an opening the size of a great hall" (Midrash on Song of Songs). Just try to make a small commitment, a small opening - and Hashem promises that He will help us make it even stronger.

Shabbat Shalom,

Miriam

It is traditional on Rosh Hashanah to use recipes which have honey in them to symbolize our wish for a sweet new year, we should dip our challah in honey instead of salt and we have apples and honey. This month I will focus on traditional Rosh Hashanah foods. "shana tova umetukah" for "a good and sweet year”

On the second night of Rosh Hashanah, we eat a new fruit which we have not yet eaten this season and we say the shehechiyanu blessing which thanks G-d for keeping us alive and bringing us to this season.

A pomegranate is often used as this new fruit. It is also said that this fruit contains 613 seeds just as there are 613 mitzvot. Another reason given for blessing and eating this fruit on Rosh Hashanah is that we wish that our good deeds in the ensuing year will be as plentiful as the seeds of the pomegranate.

LONDON BROIL

1 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. honey

4 tbsp. brown sugar

3 cloves garlic

1 tbsp. sesame oil

1 tbsp. vinegar

London broil

Crush garlic. Mix all ingredients in blender. Blend 2 to 3 minutes. Place London broil in large pan and add ingredients from blender. Refrigerate and marinate overnight or 4 to 6 hours at least. For best results, grill to desired doneness or bake at 400 degree preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Pomegranate Salad–

strawberries

pomegranate seeds,

navel orange slices,

feta cheese,

lettuce or fresh baby spinach

pistachios

oil and vinegar to taste

And... speaking about sweetness,there is

a young lady, Chaya who has a knack for making fantastic salads every shabbos. She is 15 and one of the sweetest, mature young woman I have met. This is a version of her caesar salad which when you run out of croutons you can substitute pretzels! We miss you Chaya!

Chaya's Cesear Salad

(if you are like most teens and hate anchovies this recipe is for you!)

2romaine hearts chopped

1/2 cup croutons(salted pretzels) (picture pending chaya's approval)

1/2 pint grape tomatoes

Drsg

1/4 cup Hellmans mayo

1/4cup olive oil

3/4 tbl. dijon mustard

1 tbl.Worcestershire sauce

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tbl. fresh parsley