שפטים ושטרים תתן לך בכל שעריך אשר ד' אלקיך נתן לך לשבטיך ושפטו את העם משפט צדק
“Judges and officers shall you appoint in all your cities — which Hashem, your G-d, gives you — for your tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.” (Devorim 16:18)
Shlomah HaMelech writes in Mishlei (6:6-8), “Lazy one, go to the ant; see its ways and grow wise. Though she has no chiefs, guards, or rulers, she prepares her bread in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest.”
The Medrash (Devorim Rabbah 5:2) says that the lifespan of an ant is only six months, during which it consumes a mere 1.5 kernels of wheat, yet it nevertheless spends an entire summer gathering all the food it finds, far more than it could possibly need for its entire life. Why does the ant do this?
The Medrash explains that the ant hopes that Hashem will grant it longevity and wants to have sufficient food available should this happen. Rav Shimon bar Yochai notes that an anthill was once discovered that contained 300 kor of grain, a tremendous amount. Rav Shimon ben Chalafta adds that they are also careful not to steal from one another, and when an ant once dropped the grain it was carrying, despite its enticing aroma, all the other ants left it for its rightful owner. Shlomah therefore advises us to learn from the ant, which adopts these praiseworthy practices on its own, even though it has no rulers or officers compelling it to do so, in which case we – who are commanded at the beginning of Parshas Shoftim to appoint judges and officers – should certainly obey them and act responsibly.
Nevertheless, Rav Eliyahu Lopian points out that the ant’s actions seem to defy logic. Even if its life was extended from six months to 100 years, a quick calculation reveals that if it consumes 1.5 kernels of wheat in six months, it will only need 300 kernels to sustain itself for 100 years, far less than the 300 kor stored in the anthill. Why does Shlomah want us to learn from behavior that seems wasteful and completely detached from reality?
Rav Lopian suggests that the ant possesses lofty she’ifos [aspirations]. In addition to hoping that Hashem will extend its lifespan, it also dreams of being transformed into something far greater than an ant, such as a larger animal or even a human being, in which case it will need far more than three kernels of wheat per year. Its willingness to spend so much of its limited existence planning for the future reveals its big ambitions.
Applying this lesson to our own lives, Rav Elimelech Reznik says that our she’ifos must be at least as big as those of the ant. Rather than being content to learn a few daf [pages] of Gemara each zeman and say a few chapters of Tehillim each week, we should learn from the ant to set our sights much higher. Similarly, when we do mitzvos and daven, we should not be satisfied with mediocrity. Only by aiming for the stars can we succeed in maximizing our potential.
Parshas Shoftim is read at the beginning of the month of Elul, a time when the ant’s message is particularly relevant. As we begin to examine our ways in preparation for the Yamim Noraim ahead, we should carefully evaluate our goals and aspirations, ensuring that we are emulating the ant by gathering and storing up as much spiritual food as possible for our eventual journey to the World to Come. (R’ Ozer Alport)
Divrei Torah for the Shabbos Table
