Summary: Avital Hochstein. On the Audible Silence in Parashat Shoftim - Parashat Shoftim describes the political structures for the Jewish nation, to be implemented once they enter their land. This is a system characterized by almost complete freedom, of the sort where interference occurs only in the case of a problem. To the observer, this would appear to be an idyllic description; however, anyone familiar with the Torah and its ways will immediately note the striking absence of socially weak and weakened personae who, surprisingly, remain wholly unmentioned throughout the course of the parashah. There are no orphans or widows, no poor or strangers, or any of those who require redemption. What is the role of this lack, specifically in the context of such a broad description of a social and political system?
