Shoftim שׁוֹפְטִים
Commandments in this portion: positive — 14 · negative — 27counted by Sefer HaChinuch
Which commandments
- 491To appoint judges and officersלמנות שופטים ושוטריםpos.
- 492To not plant any tree idolsשלא לטע אשרהneg.
- 493To not erect a matsevahשלא להקים מצבהneg.
- 494To not offer a sacrifice of an animal with a temporary blemishשלא להקריב קרבן בעל מום עוברneg.
- 495To listen to the voice of the court at all timesלשמע בקול בית דין בכל זמןpos.
- 496To not stray from their wordsשלא לסור מדבריהםneg.
- 497To appoint a king from Israelלמנות מלך מישראלpos.
- 498To not establish a foreign king over usשלא להקים עלינו מלך נכריneg.
- 499That the king not amass many horsesשלא ירבה המלך סוסיםneg.
- 500To not ever dwell in the Land of Egyptשלא לשכן בארץ מצרים לעולםneg.
- 501That the king not amass many wivesשלא ירבה לו המלך נשיםneg.
- 502That the king not amass much silver and gold for himselfשלא ירבה לו המלך כסף וזהבneg.
- 503That the king write a second Torah scroll for himselfשיכתב המלך ספר תורה שני לעצמוpos.
- 504That the tribe of Levi not inherit in the Land of Israelשלא ינחל שבט לוי בארץ ישראלneg.
- 505That the tribe of Levi not take a portion in the spoilsשלא יקח שבט לוי חלק בבזהneg.
- 506To give the foreleg, the jaw and the maw to the priestלתת זרוע ולחיים וקבה לכהןpos.
- 507To separate the great tithe for the priestלהפריש תרומה גדולה לכהןpos.
- 508To give the first shearing to the priestלתת לכהן ראשית הגזpos.
- 509That the priests and the Levites work in the Temple in shiftsלהיות הכהנים והלוים עובדים במקדש למשמרותpos.
- 510To not engage in clairvoyanceשלא לקסםneg.
- 511To not do magicשלא לכשףneg.
- 512To not invoke a charmשלא לחבר חברneg.
- 513To not ask a master of ovשלא לשאל בבעל אובneg.
- 514To not ask a yidaaoniשלא לשאל בידעוניneg.
- 515To not inquire of the deadשלא לדרש אל המתיםneg.
- 516The commandment to heed a true prophetמצוה לשמע אל נביא האמתpos.
- 517To not prophecy falselyשלא להנבא בשקרneg.
- 518To not prophesy in the name of idolatryשלא להתנבא בשם עבודה זרהneg.
- 519That we not fear from the killing of a false prophetשלא נירא מהריגת נביא השקרneg.
- 520The commandment to prepare six cities of refugeמצוה להכין שש ערי מקלטpos.
- 521To not show pity upon the killer or injurerשלא לחוס על הרוצח וחובלneg.
- 522To not remove a landmarkשלא להסיג גבולneg.
- 523To not establish a matter of testimony with one witnessשלא יקום דבר העדות בעד אחדneg.
- 524To do to the collusive witness like he colludedלעשות לעד זומם כאשר זמםpos.
- 525To not be terrified or to be afraid in warשלא לערץ ולפחד במלחמהneg.
- 526The commandment to anoint a priest for warמצוה למשח כהן למלחמהpos.
- 527To send peace to the cities that we besiegeלשלח שלום לערים שצרים עליהןpos.
- 528To not keep alive a soul of the seven nationsשלא להחיות נשמה משבעה עממיןneg.
- 529To not destroy fruit treesשלא להשחית אילני מאכלneg.
- 530To behead the calf in the riverbedלערף את העגלה בנחלpos.
- 531To not work or sow in that landשלא לעבד ולזרע באותו קרקעneg.
Numbering, order and division follow Sefer HaChinuch; the number links to the text.
«Judges and officers shall you appoint in all your gates»—and «justice, justice shall you pursue». The king, the priests and the prophet are each given their bounds. The cities of refuge, two witnesses at least, the exemptions from war, and the calf whose neck is broken over an unsolved killing.
Read next on 4 September 2027, 26 August 2028. By the Israeli reading cycle.
Echoes in the Prophets and history
These events themselves live in other books and other centuries; each is tied to this portion by the verse shown beside it: the early ones the portion recalls, in the later ones its word resounds:
How it is read
| First | Devarim 16:18—17:13 | 18 verses |
|---|---|---|
| Second | Devarim 17:14—17:20 | 7 verses |
| Third | Devarim 18:1—18:5 | 5 verses |
| Fourth | Devarim 18:6—18:13 | 8 verses |
| Fifth | Devarim 18:14—19:13 | 22 verses |
| Sixth | Devarim 19:14—20:9 | 17 verses |
| Seventh | Devarim 20:10—21:9 | 20 verses |
| Maftir | Devarim 21:7—21:9 | 3 verses |
| Haftarah | Isaiah 51:12—52:12 on Sefaria | 24 verses |
The text
The English edition does not yet carry the text of the portion. The Hebrew with translation is on Sefaria; the Russian page of this portion carries the full text verse by verse — открыть по-русски →.