A Scroll is more than a Scroll

Shoftim

Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9

Précis: The parasha Shoftim (literally, “judges”) is devoted primarily to various themes of justice, and includes warnings against false testimony, idol worship, and the dangers of mortal kings. The parasha includes regulations for rulers, and also warns the people against false prophets, magicians, soothsayers and witches. It establishes requirements for cities of refuge in the Promised Land. In short, the parasha is devoted to ways to create a just society in the Land of Israel.

Deuteronomy 17:18 “When he (the king) is seated on his royal thrown, he shall have a copy of this Teaching written on a scroll by the Levitical priests. Let it remain with him and let him read it all his life…”

In the midst of a discussion of rules regarding the king (in addition to being native-born, the king may not keep too many horses or too many wives, nor should he amass silver and gold “to excess”), we see that the king is also to be guided by Torah.

The need for repetition which the entire Book is about (Deuteronomy comes from the Greek meaning “second telling”) is underscored in this particular verse, where the king is to have a physical scroll of Torah by his side. Midrash suggests that it was his responsibility to copy the scroll himself, but that if he lacked the skill, this could be delegated to the Priests as suggested in the cited verse. The Midrash underscores the importance not only of the Law itself, but of the physical scroll we commonly refer to as "Torah."

In the Washington DC area, we have recently experienced something akin to a scandal about Torah scrolls. A local rabbi and scribe has been leading an effort to “rescue” previously "lost" Holocaust scrolls from Europe, to restore them to “kosher” status, and to make them important symbols in congregations (in both the United States and in Europe). Some have accused the rabbi of being overly elaborate (if not disingenuous) about the provenance of some of these scrolls, and the organization which supports him in this rescue effort has recently signed an agreement with civil authorities not to make claims about scroll provenance without documentary evidence.

This episode reminds us of how precious the Torah scroll is to us, not only for its contents, but also because of its symbolic importance. In some congregations, Torah processions take on a semi-talismanic aspect, bordering almost on a form of idolatry (which is the opposite of the prohibitions of this parasha).

On the other hand, this verse reminds us of the importance of the actual, written scroll itself. The society envisioned by Torah can be sustained only when leaders and the community follow its precepts, and both need the comfort and guidance of a physical scroll as a symbol of that goal.