Sometimes the biggest shift isn’t loud. It’s not a dramatic teshuvah moment or a sweeping life change. It’s subtle. Internal. A quiet turning toward truth.
Parshas Shoftim opens with a call to place judges and officers at our gates. Chassidus teaches that these gates are not just communal—they’re personal. The eyes, the ears, the mouth. The places where the world enters us.
“Judges and officers you shall appoint for yourself at all your gates.”
(Devarim 16:18)
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🛡️ Appointing Inner Guardians
The sages teach us that this verse becomes a meditation on mindfulness. The “judges” are our inner discernment. The “officers” are our ability to act on that discernment. Together, they help us respond instead of react.
This isn’t about self-criticism. It’s about self-leadership. A woman who gently notices what she’s letting in—what she’s seeing, hearing, saying—is already shifting. Already strengthening.
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🌱 Shifting Doesn’t Have to Be Dramatic
We often think spiritual growth has to be big. But Shoftim reminds us that the most powerful shifts are often quiet. A pause before speaking. A breath before judging. A softening of the heart before drawing a line.
Pull quote: “The gates of the soul don’t slam shut. They turn slowly, with awareness.”
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🌸 A Gentle Practice for the Week
This week, choose one gate to watch with love.
• Your eyes: What do I choose to look at?
• Your ears: What do I let myself hear?
• Your mouth: What words am I shaping?
Don’t judge. Just notice. That noticing is the shift.
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📚 References and Further Reading
• Parshas Shoftim summary on Chabad.org (www.chabad.org)
