The word shoftim means “judges.” It is also the name of the forty-eighth reading from the Torah, which begins with the words “You shall appoint for yourself judges [shoftim]” (Deuteronomy 16:18). Within this Torah portion are several laws governing the judicial process and other institutions of the state: the establishment of law courts, the clerical roles of priests and Levites, rules about prophets, the criteria for choosing a king, the testimony of witnesses, limitations on a king’s sovereignty, and instructions concerning warfare.