You shall not move your neighbor’s boundary
Parshat Shoftim is filled with many of the laws and ideas that constitute the basis of the Jewish ethical tradition. It also includes one of the most famous lines of the Torah: Justice, justice you shall pursue (Devarim 16:20).
In fact it was the line I had first thought I would comment upon. However as I have little time for blogging and research (which is all the harder as I am not at home), I have selected a moral teaching based on another phrase from this week’s portion: You shall not move your neighbor’s boundary (Devarim 19:14) by Rabbi Avraham Fischer and found online in Torah Insights.
As for the moral lessons to be derived from this commandment, it reminds us not to promote ourselves at the expense of others. Ambition can be a positive motivating force, but it must be based on rightful claims, and it must not deprive others of what is legitimately theirs.
Ambition is not condemned by Judaism but this verse reminds us that there is a Jewish way of being an ambitious person.
Hannah's Nook 