Zohar Shoftim Section 1 - Puts One Up and Sets Up Another

It is recommended to study / read / scan the section prior to reading the Synopsis

Zohar Commentary of the Zohar PORTION called Shoftim

SYNOPSIS:

The Zohar talks here about the precepts regarding the appointment of the judiciary and law enforcement officers.

Pasook 1. from the Zohar Commentary on the Parasha Shoftim.

שׁוֹפְטִים וְשׁוֹטְרִים תִּתֶּן לְךָ בְּכָל שְׁעָרֶיךְ אֲשֶׁר יְיָ' אֱלֹהֶיךָ נוֹתֵן לְךָ וְגוֹ'. בְּפִקּוּדָא דָּא, מָנֵי שׁוֹפְטִים וְשׁוֹטְרִים. וְעוֹד כִּי אֱלֹהִים שׁוֹפֵט, כִּי: מ', מִנֵּיהּ יוֹ"ד דְּחוּשְׁבָּנֵיהּ כ', בָּתַר הָכָא, אֱלֹהִים שׁוֹפֵט, זֶה יַשְׁפִּיל ה"ה, וְזֶה יָרִים דָּא וָ"ו.

Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd)"Judges and officers shall you make you in all your gates, which Hashem your Elohim, gives you, throughout your tribes" (Devarim 16:18). In this precept, He commanded regarding judges and officers. Moreover, "but (Heb. ki, Caf Yud) Elohim is the Judge" (Tehilim 75:8). The numerical value of 'ki' is forty if you take into account that Yud in its full spelling equals twenty and Caf is twenty for a total of forty. After that, "Elohim is the Judge: He puts one up," Hei OF YUD HEI VAV HEI does "and sets up another" (Ibid.), THAT IS, Vav OF YUD HEI VAV HEI.

chanoch's Commentary

Judges and Officers imply judgment. Here are three explanations of these terms. One: each city needs a judge and police to enforce the laws and protect the judges. Two: The gates are the holes in our bodies like our eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. We need judges to limit access to our interior and also to limit what comes out of our mouths as well. Three: Our synagogues are gates for our prayers. The Rabbi's and boards of directors of the synagogues are the Judges and Police that establish who we are, and how we deal with these things. The quality of our judges and police on our gates are indicators to us as to what needs to be fixed and corrected within us. There are many other ways to understand this meaning of judges and officers.