Parshat Shoftim - It Takes Two (or Three)

See how well this goes from the Mets game... This week's portion focuses on how to build a community and the difficulties inherent to any group composed of, well, any more than one person! One striking passage deals with the rules of testimony in a court case. We are told that a person cannot be convicted but on the testimony of two or even three witnesses. Today, this speaks to us as advice for whenever we encounter a difficult or delicate social interaction. Very often two heads are better than one. In that instance in which we might not appreciate all points of view or issues, a second or third person may very well help us to keep to the right track. So we see in this one rule a microcosm for all activities in a community and how the Torah helps us guard against our own potential for being human when it comes to how we interact with other human beings. Shabbat Shalom from Flushing! Rabbi Benson