Shoftim - שפטים : "Judges"
Torah : Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9
Haftarah : Isaiah 51:12-52:12
Gospel : Matthew 26:47-27:10

Thought for the Week:

In the case of would-be prophets, the Torah is like the rabbinical kosher-authority, checking to see if the product is kosher. If the prophet proves to be true and proves to be in concert with Torah, it is as if the Torah stamps that prophet with its heksher (kosher seal). Just as a kosher-keeping person is always careful to check to see if a particular food is kosher before popping it into his mouth, so too we should be careful to check to see if a particular prophet is kosher before heeding his words.

Commentary:

How do you tell a false prophet from a true prophet? The initial test for a prophet is offered by Moses. In Deuteronomy 18:21-22 it says, "You may say in your heart, 'How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?' When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him."

If a prophet prophesies a sign, a wonder or a prediction, and that prediction fails to come to pass, that person is to be regarded a false prophet...