A few weeks ago, I went to a minor league baseball game with my dad and my son and at the end of the night, I left with a great lesson. In the top of the fifth, one of the visiting team’s players broke his bat on a ground out to first base that ended the inning. The fans clapped for the home team as they left the field, but then everyone noticed that the home plate umpire was laying down on the ground. When the bat broke, it somehow hit him and knocked him out. Baruch Hashem, after a few minutes, he got up to his feet. An announcement was made that the infield umpire would be switching with the home plate umpire and there would be a short delay while they swapped protective equipment (there are only two umpires in the minor leagues: one behind the plate and one in the infield). The game was delayed 30 minutes until the umpires came back out and the bottom of the fifth began. After the game, I wondered why umpires are even needed in a baseball game. The baseball league would save lots of money if it did not have to pay the umpire’s salaries. Also, I would have been home a half an hour earlier that night and gotten a better night’s sleep. I realized the answer is really quite simple: it is to avoid arguments. If there was not an umpire, the teams would be arguing with each other over the pitches being strikes or balls and over if a player is safe or out at first. Therefore, every sporting event has a referee or umpire or judge to keep the peace between the teams.

Over a hundred years ago, there was a great Rabbi, who had written a book on Jewish law (unfortunately, I have forgotten his name) who went to court with a neighbor over a dispute they were having with each other. The judges listened carefully to both sides and ruled against the Rabbi. They then took out a book to show why they ruled this way. The book was none other than the book the great Rabbi had written on Jewish law. In this book that he had written a few years earlier, he explained clearly why the ruling should not be in his favor, but the Rabbi had forgotten about this ruling he had written down when he was in the current dispute. The Rabbi did not forget what he had written on purpose – it was because now in the dispute, he focused on ideas that would help him win. He felt he was being open-minded about the situation. We see from here when a person is in a dispute, although he might think he sees everything with an open-mind, really he only sees things from his point-of-view.

This week’s parsha begins by stating we need to set up Judges in every city. These judges are so we can avoid disputes. Of course, the best way to solve a dispute is for the parties to compromise, but sometimes, an outsider is needed solve the problems with an open-mind. Everyone sees things from their own point-of-view, so to avoid major disputes, we have judges to keep the peace. Just like baseball needs to have umpires, we need to have our judges.

Good Shabbos!
-yes
[email protected]
www.divreisimcha.com OR www.chesedclub.com > Torah Study