Virtual Drasha: Absolute Monarchy (Shoftim)

Rabbi Silber's Virtual Drasha on Parshas Shoftim looks at the Torah's laws of appointing a Jewish king, and a deeper reading of the words "place a king upon yourself" as a command to rule over one's own desires, speech, and reactions. He teaches that while we often fixate on the many things in life we cannot control, each of us is genuinely king over certain things — our words, our responses, whether we act on a desire — and true monarchy begins with exercising that control rather than ignoring it. Arriving as Elul begins, the message becomes a challenge to identify one or two areas of life we truly control and finally take the reins.

• We often obsess over the things in life we cannot control while ignoring the real areas we do control.
• Having a desire for something wrong doesn't mean something is broken in you — that's simply being human.
• Acting on a wrongful desire, not merely feeling it, is where real weakness or strength as a "king over yourself" is shown.
• We control our speech, our reactions, and our responses, even when we can't control other people's words or actions.
• Elul is a chance to honestly identify one or two areas of life we truly control and finally take charge of them.