Rabbi's Corner

We read in this week's parashah, Parashat Shoftim, the following: "You shall not deviate from the word they (the appointed judges) tell you." (Devarim 17:11) Our Rabbis teach that Moshe Rabbeinu, Moses our teacher, told B'nei Yisrael that they had to obey the rulings of the courts (made by the appointed judges) even if they were convinced that these rulings were wrong.  If the judges said that left was right and right was left, their word was law.  At first glance, this seems to make no sense at all.  But perhaps the following story can help give a better perspective as to what the Torah is telling us.

During training flights, the lead pilot of an Israeli squadron of F-16 fighter jets had the task of shooting out flares in the area of the target to mark where his squadron was to aim their missiles.  After doing so, he would immediately elevate his plane to a higher altitude so that the planes flying with him would be able to attack the target.  One night, as they were flying in total darkness, he shot out his flares and was immediately overcome with vertigo.  As a result, he turned his pane upside down while thinking all along that he was right side up.  He began to pull the plane into what he thought was its regular steep incline not realizing that he was actually heading straight towards the ground at hundreds of miles per hour.  And although the altimeter was sounding a warning that he was in a steep dive rapidly approaching the ground, he ignored it thinking that it was malfunctioning.  The jet had two different systems to warn the pilot of an impending crash, and this second one was beeping frantically.  Suddenly, both pilots of the two jets that had been alongside of him during this training run informed him that he was upside down and was about to crash.  They told him to invert his plane and pull up before it was too late.  Even though he was certain he was right side up, he followed their instructions and brought his plane back for a safe landing.

Every day when you are driving to work along your old familiar route, you know that your favorite gas station is on your left-hand side.  However, when you go home from work along the same route, this same gas station is now on your right-hand side.  Did it switch places?  Of course not. The fact of the matter is that what you see all depends upon your perspective.  During this time of the year our Rabbis are telling us that perhaps our perspective is wrong.  Perhaps we need to re-orient ourselves to what is real and what is not real in our world.  Perhaps we must turn around and face the opposite direction in order to gain the proper perspective as to what is happening in our lives.   And that is just what the month of Elul is all about.  We are to prepare to do t'shuvah by turning around and viewing our lives from the proper perspective utilizing our family, our friends, our synagogue, our tradition, and, most of all, our relationship with HaShem to go forward into the new year.  As we approach the beginning of the year 5782, may we all be successful in our attempt at doing this!