Parashat Shoftim is often read as the Torah’s blueprint for building a just society.

It begins by appointing judges, instructing them to judge without fear or favour. Political authority is then placed under the Torah through the institution of kingship. Finally come the prophets, the moral conscience of the nation, calling Israel to remain faithful to Hashem and warning against voices that would lead it astray.

At first glance, the structure seems complete. Justice has its judges, government has its king, and the nation has its prophets. Every pillar required to build a righteous society now appears to be in place.

Yet the Torah has one more place to take us.

Rather than ending in the courtroom, the palace or the Beit Din, Parashat Shoftim unexpectedly leaves every institution behind and takes us onto a lonely road between two cities.

There, far from the halls of power, lies an unnamed traveller.

No witnesses come forward. No murderer is found. No........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)