Shoftim: Seeing the Unseen

By Josh Appel

This week’s Parsha concludes with one of the most enigmatic laws in our corpus. We are told that if a corpse is found between two cities, then the elders should bring an unworked calf to an untilled field and break the neck of the calf. The Parsha ends abruptly and without reason.

What exactly is the role of the Egla Arufa? How is its response appropriate to the event for which it atones for?

Indeed, the Midrash and Gemara dealt with this question as well, noting numerous aspects of the law which illuminate its reasoning. Nevertheless, I want to touch on a single idea mentioned by the רמב״ם in the Moreh and the Chinuch. The רמב״ם posits that the purpose of the Egla Arufa is to publicize the death in order to perhaps weed out the identity of the murderer. Here, the רמב״ם seems to completely glaze over the numerous details of the Egla Arufa! He fails to indicate why the elders are put to task or why the animal chosen is a calf?! Why the field must not be worked nor the animal!? Instead of plumbing the depths of the details the רמב״ם entirely ignores them!

The answer may be that more important than the details of Egla Arufa is the broad notion of publicity in this context. In our lives we reserve fanfare for big events: national news stories, super bowls and presidential elections. In the case of Egla Arufa there is every opportunity to sweep the story under the rug. An anonymous body is found in a valley far away from the city. And yet, the Torah dictates that the elders of the city themselves must bring a large animal to the scene in hopes of publicizing what hath occurred. The death cannot be left unaccounted for. It is at this quiet moment wherein the Torah highlights the innate value of every individual member of the Jewish people.

The Torah’s insistence on publicizing the discovery of a single, anonymous victim serves as a stark reminder that no life is insignificant, and no death should go unnoticed. This message is not just an ancient legal ritual, but a timeless moral imperative that speaks to us today. As we reflect on the significance of this law, we are painfully reminded of the recent tragedy where six of our brothers and sisters, held captive for 300 days, were brutally murdered. Just as the Egla Arufa underscores the value of a single life, this tragedy calls us to recognize the profound loss of these six lives—and the many more who remain in captivity.

We cannot ignore and we cannot forget. In his book Night, Elie Wiesel recounts a moment of deep anguish when he and other concentration camp prisoners are forced to watch the hanging of a young boy. Wiesel describes the boy as ‘a sad-eyed angel,’ and the collective sorrow of the prisoners as they witness his death. This single, painful loss is etched into Wiesel’s memory, standing out against the backdrop of countless others. It’s a poignant reminder that the death of even one individual can weigh heavily on the soul, far more than the distant and impersonal numbers often quoted in the context of mass tragedy. As we near the month of October, we need to recognize that the members of our community are sacred, that life is not disposable and that losing even one person cannot be left to anonymity.  

We must focus on the large stories that capture global attention – war, politics, etc. – but we must never let that eclipse the acknowledgement of the individual plane. As we journey through this period of repentance, let us each appreciate our own innate value in the hope that we may find that in our counterparts as well.