Shoftim: Knowing Others

Week of August 11, 2026

Shalom,

Here we are, on the doorstep of the Hebrew month of Elul.  We are winding down the year, and focusing on what the New Year may hold inside.  As we consider the religious and spiritual work asked of us during Elul, preparing for the Yamim Noraim, I want to dive into one verse in this week’s Torah portion, Shoftim>>>.  Deuteronomy 16:19 guides us in our work of judgement, most often understood as directed towards judges, yet principles that apply to us all:  

לֹא־תַטֶּ֣ה מִשְׁפָּ֔ט לֹ֥א תַכִּ֖יר פָּנִ֑ים וְלֹא־תִקַּ֣ח שֹׁ֔חַד כִּ֣י הַשֹּׁ֗חַד יְעַוֵּר֙ עֵינֵ֣י חֲכָמִ֔ים וִֽיסַלֵּ֖ף דִּבְרֵ֥י צַדִּיקִֽם׃

You shall not judge unfairly: you shall show no partiality; you shall not take bribes, for bribes blind the eyes of the discerning and upset the plea of the just.

There is one phrase in here that has been taken colloquially.  In Hebrew, “לא תכיר פנים”, (lo takkir panim) which is translated as, “you shall show no partiality.”  Yet, Hebrew holds more than this idiomatic understanding alone.  Breaking down the words, bear with me on this esoteric journey, many of us are familiar with the word lo - meaning “no” or “don’t do” whatever follows.  The final word of this phrase is also straight forward, panim, meaning “face”.  

Yet this middle word, takkir, is to “know” or be “familiar” with.  It is juxtaposed to another Hebrew verb, lada’at, which is a way to “know” facts.  Our verb, in this verse, is “to know” someone, to be familiar with them.  So, if we literally translate this phrase, we could render it as:  Do not know faces.  Holding this literal translation in the content of the verse and this part of Torah, the translation above is artfully crafted.  I might suggest the following as a more full translation:  Do not pervert justice, specifically, do not take into account your familiarity with those being judged, nor their status.  This might just stick a little more true to each word, yet the published translation (JPS 2023) is masterful.

So, what does all this have to do with the season and entering the month of Elul?  Well, I am holding on tightly to this verse.  More specifically, I am intrigued by the mention to judges to not show partiality as a clue to the reality that when not in a seat of judgement, we should actually know others more deeply.  In carrying out judgment we ought not be partial to those whom we know, for that perverts justice.  Yet, in all other moments, we should definitely strive to be familiar with and know others.  Commentators (Ibn Ezra and Rashi) and our classical texts (Sifrei Devarim) also teach that this phrase guides us to not take into account what is on the “face” and Maimonides (Mishneh Torah H. Sanhedrin) leans on this verse when he instructs us to not: favor someone because they are poor, favor someone because they are righteous, favor someone because they are learned, or pity for they all affect judgment.  

So, when determining judgement, we do not do these things, for they pervert justice.  And, they must be common enough in our disposition in everyday moments for a reminder to judges to set them aside to have been penned in our Torah.  This verse is crucial for both the setting described, the courtroom, and all other moments of our lives.  We must hear in this passage a charge to truly know others, to strive to always deepen our relationships.  In the Hasidic realm we can often find a juxtaposition of panim (face from our verse) and penimiyut (the divine image within - innerness).  This moment in the Jewish year calls us to consider judgement, of ourselves, of our deeds, and how we work towards our best selves.  It demands of us both the courtroom disposition of not being partial, while, at least in my reading, also urging us towards deeper knowing of one another, a reminder.  While not quite concise, I might render the first half of our verse in this way:

When in a position of legal judgment, do not pervert justice, do not show partiality based on status or appearance.  In other moments, be sure to strive for deeper connection, knowing the divine within all.

As Elul arrives, may we strive to know others more deeply, to listen more keenly, and see all holding divinity within.

Shavua Tov,

Rabbi Evon