פרשת שופטים. From its beginning, the Torah has emphasized the central role of the shofet judge.

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1 פרשת שופטים In less than four weeks time we will experience Yom HaDin, the Day of Judgment, and a season of Y mei HaDin, beginning with Rosh Hashanah and culminating with Hoshana Rabba, 3 weeks later. Though it may be difficult to understand HaKodosh Boruch Hu the Judge on a sophisticated level, we can gain insight, perhaps, when we remember what the Torah requires from a Shofet of flesh and blood. From its beginning, the Torah has emphasized the central role of the shofet judge. At the time of Maaseh B reishis, we read (B reishis Perek 1/Posuk 26): ו י אמ ר א... ל'קים נ ע ש ה אד ם ב צ ל מ נ ו כ ד מ ות נ ו ו י ר ד ו ב ד ג ת ה י ם וב ע וף ה ש מ י ם וב ב ה מ ה וב כ ל ה אר ץ וב כ ל ה ר מ ש ה ר מ ש ע ל ה אר ץ: G-d said, Let us make man in our image and in our form and they will rule over the fish of the sea and the fowl of the heavens and animals and in the entire land and all of the creatures that creep upon the earth. We note the plural Let us make when it is G-d alone Who is the Creator. Rashi explains: נעשה אדם - ענותנותו של הקדוש ברוך הוא למדנו מכאן, לפי שהאדם בדמות המלאכים ויתקנאו בו לפיכך נמלך בהם, וכשהוא דן את המלכים הוא נמלך בפמליא שלו... Let us make man We learn of the humility of HaKodosh Boruch Hu from here. Since man is in the form of the angels and they would be jealous of him, therefore Hashem consulted with the angels. When He judges kings, Hashem consults with His entourage. When Hashem decides to disperse the nations of the world in the episode of the generation of division, with the events of the Tower of Babel, we,דור הפלגה read (B reishis Perek 11/Posuk 7): ה ב ה נ ר ד ה ו נ ב ל ה ש ם ש פ ת ם א ש ר לא י ש מ ע ו א יש ש פ ת ר ע ה ו:

2 Come, let us descend and confuse their language so that each person will not understand the language of his friend. The plural form of speech is surprising. It is Hashem Who will bring havoc upon the people no one else. Why does He say, let us? Rashi explains: הבה נרדה - בבית דינו נמלך, מענותנותו היתירה: Come, let us descend Hashem consulted with His court due to His exceptional humility. Lot is also awarded with the prominent position of a judge. We read (B reishis Perek 19/Posuk 1): ו י ב א ו ש נ י ה מ ל אכ ים ס ד מ ה ב ע ר ב ו ל וט י ש ב ב ש ע ר ס ד ם ו י ר א ל וט ו י ק ם ל ק ר את ם ו י ש ת ח ו א פ י ם אר צ ה: The two angels came to Sodom in the evening and Lot was sitting in the gates of Sodom and Lot saw and he arose to greet them and he prostrated himself to the ground [before them].,קרי reading, The word sitting is written choser in the Torah. That is, though the is yosheiv as if there would be the vowel o, written as a letter vov, after the letter yud, that vowel is absent. If seen out of context the world would be read yoshav. Yosheiv means he is sitting and yoshav means he sat. Rashi explains: ולוט ישב בשער סדום - ישב כתיב אותו היום מינוהו שופט עליהם: Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom The k siv written form is yoshav 1. On that day they appointed Lot as judge 2 over them. 1 We have a similar usage of yosheiv/yoshav regarding Efron the Chittite in an episode that expresses theprominence of Avraham Ovinu in the eyes of the Chittites as we read in Parshas Chaye Sarah (Perek 23/Posuk 10):

3 Of course, we cannot ignore the fact that the name of Moshe s father-in-law, Yisro, was first Yeser because he introduced the makeup of the judicial system. Yeser means addition and Yisro added to the Torah, as it were. This is what Rashi writes (Sh mos Perek 18/Posuk 1): יתרו - שבע שמות נקראו לו...יתר...על שם שיתר פרשה אחת בתורה )פסוק כא( ואתה תחזה. Yisro He was called by seven 3 names. Yeser because he added a section to the Torah [when he told Moshe], You shall see [those who are fit to be judges]. ו ע פ ר ון י ש ב ב ת ו ך ב נ י ח ת ו י ע ן ע פ ר ון ה ח ת י א ת אב ר ה ם ב אז נ י ב נ י ח ת ל כ ל ב א י ש ע ר ע יר ו ל אמ ר: Efron was sitting in the midst of the Chittites and Efron the Chittite answered Avraham in the hearing of the Chittites for all who entered the gates of his city saying. The word sitting is written choser in the Torah. That is, though the reading,,קרי is yosheiv as if there would be the vowel o, written as a letter vov, after the letter yud, that vowel is absent. If seen out of context the world would be read yoshav. Yosheiv means he is sitting and yoshav means he sat. Rashi explains: ועפרון ישב - כתיב חסר, אותו היום מנוהו שוטר עליהם, לו עלה לגדולה: מפני חשיבותו של אברהם שהיה צריך Efron was sitting the word yosheiv is written choser [without the o vowel, written with the letter vov following the letter yud]. On that day Efron was appointed an officer over them because of the importance of Avraham. Since Avraham needed Efron, Efron was appointed to a high office. 2 As Sifsei Chachamim points out, the fact that Lot was sitting at the gates of Sodom indicates that he was a judge, because that is the site where judges hold court. 3 Regarding the name Yisro, Rashi writes there: יתרו לכשנתגייר וקיים המצות הוסיפו לו אות אחת על שמו [He was named] Yisro when he converted and fulfilled Mitzvos then they added a letter to his name.

4 In addition to the events about which we read in the Torah that provide us with a perspective on the importance of shoftim, the many Mitzvos that are given regarding the shofet leave no doubt as to his importance. In Parshas Mishpotim and in the beginning of Sefer D vorim with have a detailed list of the Mitzvos that are incumbent upon the dayan. The very first verse of Parshas Mishpotim (Sh mos Perek 21/Posuk 1) tells us of the central role of the Shofet. We read: These are the laws that you shall place before them. ו א ל ה ה מ ש פ ט ים א ש ר ת ש ים ל פ נ יה ם: HaKodosh Boruch Hu instructs Moshe Rabbenu did transmit the various mishpotim laws to the judges of Israel so that they will be able to adjudicate their courts appropriately and correctly. However, this transmission had an additional message as well, as Rashi writes: לפניהם - ולא לפני גוים ואפילו ידעת בדין אחד שהם דנין אותו כדיני ישראל, אל תביאהו בערכאות שלהם, שהמביא דיני ישראל לפני גוים מחלל את השם ומיקר שם עבודה זרה להחשיבה, שנאמר )דברים לב/לא( כי לא כצורנו צורם ואויבינו פלילים, כשאויבינו פלילים זהו עדות לעלוי יראתם: Before them But not before non-jewish courts. Even if you know that in a particular case that they will judge exactly the same as the Jewish court, do not bring your judgments before their courts. One who brings court cases of Jews before a non-jewish court profanes the name of heaven and honors idolatry, imparting importance to it as it says: Their creator is not like our It is necessary to investigate the status of Yisro when he suggested the judicial system to Moshe Rabbenu. Seemingly, the name Yisro came after the name Yeser. If Yisro became his name when he converted, then it could appear that when he added the section of the judicial system and then was called Yeser, he had not converted.

5 Creator; our enemies are in judgment 4. When our enemies are judging that serves as a testimony to the greatness of their gods. The Beis Din that follows the laws that HaKodosh Boruch Hu transmitted to Moshe Rabbenu makes a Kiddush Hashem. They sanctify the name of G-d by following His precepts. It is not only the outcome of the judgment that is significant. If that would be the case, then there would be no problem in going to a non-jewish court that would render the same verdict when in a particular case their rules and regulations are parallel to those of the Torah. It is the attribution of the process, procedure and outcome to Toras Hashem which sanctifies G-d s Name. Thus, when we continue to read some of the Halachos guiding the dayanim we understand why the Torah is so particular about their qualifications and the way that they adjudicate. Clear guidelines that direct us in choosing our Dayanim are attributed to Yisro in his Parsha, as we read (ibid. Perek 18/P sukim 21-23): ו א ת ה ת חז ה מ כ ל ה ע ם אנ ש י ח י ל י ר א י א... ל 'קים אנ ש י אמ ת ש נ א י ב צ ע ו ש מ ת ע ל ה ם ש ר י א ל פ ים ש ר י מ א ות ש ר י ח מ ש ים ו ש ר י ע ש ר ת: ו ש פ ט ו א ת ה ע ם ב כ ל ע ת ו ה י ה כ ל ה ד ב ר ה ג ד ל י ב יא ו א ל י ך ו כ ל ה ד ב ר ה ק ט ן י ש פ ט ו ה ם ו ה ק ל מ ע ל י ך ו נ ש א ו א ת ך: א ם א ת ה ד ב ר ה ז ה ת ע ש ה ו צ ו ך א... ל 'קים ו י כ ל ת ע מ ד ו ג ם כ ל ה ע ם ה ז ה ע ל מ ק מ ו י ב א ב ש ל ום: You shall see [to choose] from all of the people, men of valor, fearers of G- d, men of truth, haters of bribery; place them as officers over groups of one thousand, officers over groups of hundreds, officers over groups of fifties and officers over groups of tens. 4 Rashi writes there in the context of the Posuk: ואיבינו פלילים - ועכשיו אויבינו שופטים אותנו Our enemies are in judgment [Because of our sins] our enemies are now judging us.

6 They should judge the people all of the time; great matters, they should bring to you, Moshe; small matters they shall judge and they will make it easier for you and they will bear responsibility with you. Rashi writes: אנשי חיל - עשירים, שאין צריכין להחניף ולהכיר פנים: Men of valor wealthy people that do not have to flatter or show favoritism. אנשי אמת - אלו בעלי הבטחה, שהם כדאי לסמוך על דבריהם, שעל ידי דבריהם נשמעין: כן יהיו Men of truth This refers to people who keep their promises; people upon whom it is worth to rely and therefore people will attend to what they say. שנאי בצע - מיניה בדינא ששונאין את ממונם בדין כההיא דאמרינן כל דיינא דמפקין ממונא לאו דיינא הוא: Haters of bribery They hate their money in judicial disputes. This means what Chazal say: Any judge who pays money because the court orders him to do so is not a proper dayan 5. We read later on in Parshas Mishpotim (Perek 23/P sukim 3, 6-8) Do not give honor to the poor person in his dispute. Rashi explains: ו ד ל לא ת ה ד ר ב ר יב ו: לא תהדר - לא תחלוק לו כבוד לזכותו בדין ולומר דל הוא, אזכנו ואכבדנו: 5 A judge is empowered to say to one of the parties, I do not accept your version; I accept the proofs that contradict your version. Go pay. If such a statements have to be said to the judge himself, how can we expect him to judge others fairly if he cannot judge himself objectively?

7 Do not give honor do not honor him by proclaiming him innocent in judgment [when he is not], saying he is poor; I will acquit him and give him honor. The commentators point out that this is forbidden even if the judge will make sure that the other litigant will be reimbursed fully. We continue to read: לא ת ט ה מ ש פ ט א ב י נ ך ב ר יב ו: Do not tilt the judgment of your extraordinarily poor person in his dispute. Rashi writes: אבינך - לשון אובה, שהוא מדולדל ותאב לכל טובה: Your extraordinarily poor person The word אביון comes from the word meaning desiring. He is completely impoverished and desires and,אובה craves anything good. מ ד ב ר ש ק ר ת ר ח ק ו נ ק י ו צ ד יק אל ת ה ר ג כ י לא אצ ד יק ר ש ע: You shall distance yourself from a matter of falsehood; do not kill an innocent or a righteous person because I Hashem will not exonerate the wicked 6. 6 Rashi explains that the last part of the verse comes to teach that there is no double jeopardy in cases of capital punishment. When we read that Hashem says that He will not exonerate the wicked, Rashi writes: אין עליך להחזירו, כי אני לא אצדיקנו בדיני, אם יצא מידך זכאי, יש לי שלוחים הרבה להמיתו במיתה שנתחייב בה: You do not have to retry one found innocent and now there is proof regarding his guilt. I Hashem will not exonerate him in My judgement. If goes free by your hand in Beis Din, I have many emissaries to kill him in the death penalty for which he is liable.

8 Rashi: ו ש ח ד לא ת ק ח כ י ה ש ח ד י ע ו ר פ ק ח ים ו יס ל ף ד ב ר י צ ד יק ים: Do not take bribes because a bribe will blind the eyes of intelligent people and distort the words of the righteous. ושחד לא תקח - אפילו לשפוט אמת, וכל שכן כדי להטות הדין... Do not take bribes event to judge truthfully and certainly not to tilt the law. יעור פקחים - אפילו חכם בתורה ונוטל שוחד, סוף שתטרף דעתו עליו, וישתכח תלמודו, ויכהה מאור עיניו: Will blind the intelligent Even if he is wise in Torah knowledge and he is bribed in the end he will go crazy and his learning will be forgotten and the light of his eyes will dim. Sefer D vorim, the multiple-week instructive monologue of Moshe Rabbenu Olov Hashalom begins with laws of judges. We read (Perek 1/P sukim 13-18): Earlier in Parshas Mishpotim, Rashi told us about those emissaries. We read in Perek 21/Posuk 13):...שני בני אדם, אחד הרג שוגג ואחד הרג מזיד, ולא היו עדים בדבר שיעידו, זה לא נהרג וזה לא גלה, והקדוש ברוך הוא מזמנן לפונדק אחד, זה שהרג במזיד יושב תחת הסולם, וזה שהרג שוגג עולה בסולם ונופל על זה שהרג במזיד והורגו, ועדים מעידים עליו ומחייבים אותו לגלות, נמצא זה שהרג בשוגג גולה, וזה שהרג במזיד נהרג: Two men, one killed unintentionally and the other murdered intentionally. There were no witnesses in either instance so the unintentional killer was not sent to exile and the murderer was not killed. Hashem brings them together in the same inn. The murderer is sitting under a ladder and the unintentional killer goes on the ladder, falls and kills the murderer and witnesses were present and testified and make him liable for exile. The outcome is that the unintentional killer is exiled and the murderer was killed.

9 ה ב ו ל כ ם א נ ש ים ח כ מ ים ונ ב נ ים ו יד ע ים ל ש ב ט יכ ם ו א ש ימ ם ב ר אש יכ ם: ו ת ע נ ו א ת י ו ת אמ ר ו ט וב ה ד ב ר א ש ר ד ב ר ת ל ע ש ות: ו א ק ח א ת ר אש י ש ב ט יכ ם א נ ש ים ח כ מ ים ו יד ע ים ו א ת ן א ות ם ר אש ים ע ל יכ ם ש ר י א ל פ ים ו ש ר י מ א ות ו ש ר י ח מ ש ים ו ש ר י ע ש ר ת ו ש ט ר ים ל ש ב ט יכ ם: ו א צ ו ה א ת ש פ ט יכ ם ב ע ת ה ה וא ל אמ ר ש מ ע ב ין א ח יכ ם וש פ ט ת ם צ ד ק ב ין א יש וב ין אח יו וב ין ג ר ו: לא ת כ יר ו פ נ ים ב מ ש פ ט כ ק ט ן כ ג ד ל ת ש מ ע ון לא ת ג ור ו מ פ נ י א יש כ י ה מ ש פ ט ל א... ל 'קים ה וא ו ה ד ב ר א ש ר י ק ש ה מ כ ם ת ק ר ב ון א ל י וש מ ע ת יו: ו א צ ו ה א ת כ ם ב ע ת ה ה וא א ת כ ל ה ד ב ר ים א ש ר ת ע ש ון: Rashi: Bring for yourselves wise and understanding men, well-known to your tribes and I will place them at your head. You answered me and you said, This matter that your spoke to do is good. I took the heads of your tribes, wise and well-known men and I placed them as heads upon you, officers of thousands, officers of hundreds, officers of fifties, officers of tens, and officers for your tribes. I commanded your judges at that time saying, Be listening among your brothers and judge righteously between each man and between his brother and between his neighbor. Do not show favouritism in judgment; listen to the small as you listen to the big and do not fear any person because judgment is G-d s; that which is difficult for you, approach me and I will hear it. I commanded you at that time regarding all of the matters that you should do. אנשים - וכי תעלה על דעתך נשים, מה תלמוד לומר אנשים צדיקים: Men Did we think that women would be judges (because we were told already that only males can be judges)? What does the word anoshim teach? That they should be righteous men. נבונים - מבינים דבר מתוך דבר. Understanding they are able to understand one matter based on the implication of a different matter. וידועים לשבטיכם - שהם ניכרים לכם, שאם בא לפני מעוטף בטליתו איני יודע מי הוא ומאיזה שבט הוא ואם הגון הוא, אבל אתם מכירין בו, שאתם גידלתם אותו...

10 Known to your tribes You know them [well]. If one would come before me enshrouded in his Tallis [with the appearance of righteousness], I do not know who he is, from shevet he is or if he is proper [to serve as a judge]. But you know him; you raised him. בראשיכם - ראשים ומכובדים עליכם שתהיו נוהגין בהם כבוד ויראה: Your heads Heads of the tribes and honored by you. You should relate to them with honor and awe. ואשמם - חסר יו"ד, למד שאשמותיהם של ישראל תלויות בראשי דייניהם, שהיה להם למחות ולכוון אותם לדרך הישרה: I will place them The word ואשמם should have been written with the letter yud following the letter sin. It is missing as and thus could be read I will find them guilty [from the word.[אשם This teaches that the guilt of Israel is placed on the heads of the dayanim. They should have protested and guided Israel to the correct path [and the misdeeds of Israel are because the dayanim did not protest and guide]. ואקח את ראשי שבטיכם - משכתים בדברים אשריכם, על מי באתם להתמנות, על בני אברהם יצחק ויעקב, על בני אדם שנקראו אחים ורעים, חלק ונחלה וכל לשון חבה: I took the heads of your tribes I took them by persuading them saying You should be happy. Upon whom are you being appointed? Upon the children of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, upon people who are called brothers and compatriots, G-d s portion and inheritance, all expressions of Divine love. ואצוה את שפטיכם - אמרתי להם הוו מתונים בדין, אם בא דין לפניך פעם אחת שתים ושלש אל תאמר כבר בא דין זה לפני פעמים הרבה אלא היו נושאים ונותנים בו: I commanded your judges I told them, Be deliberate in judgment. If a specific case has come before you once, or twice or three times, do not say,

11 this case has come before me many time [and I will decide what I have decide previously]. Rather, discuss it [before rendering a judgment]. ובין גרו -...אף על עסקי דירה בין חלוקת אחים אפילו בין תנור לכירים: And between his neighbor also on matters of domicile such has the division of inheritance among brothers who will get the tanur-type of stove and who will get the kirah-type stove. לא תכירו פנים במשפט - זה הממונה להושיב הדיינין, שלא יאמר איש פלוני נאה או גבור, אושיבנו דיין, איש פלוני קרובי, אושיבנו דיין בעיר, והוא אינו בקי בדינין נמצא מחייב את הזכאי ומזכה את החייב. מעלה אני על מי שמנהו כאילו הכיר פנים בדין: Do not show favoritism in judgment this refers to the official who appoints judges 7. The official should not appoint judges because this one is handsome, this one is a brave warrior and therefore I will appoint them judges. Or, this one is my relative and I will appoint him a judge in the city. If they are not expert in the law, the result will be that they will find the innocent liable and acquit the one who is culpable. Hashem holds the official accountable as if he showed favoritism in court. כקטן כגדול תשמעון - שיהא חביב עליך דין של פרוטה כדין של מאה מנה, שאם קדם ובא לפניך לא תסלקנו לאחרון. דבר אחר כקטן כגדול תשמעון, כתרגומו, שלא תאמר, זה עני הוא וחבירו עשיר ומצוה לפרנסו אזכה את העני ונמצא מתפרנס בנקיות. דבר אחר שלא תאמר היאך אני פוגם כבודו של עשיר זה בשביל דינר, אזכנו עכשיו, וכשיצא לחוץ אומר אני לו, תן לו שאתה חייב לו: Listen to the small like to the large You should love the law of a case dealing with a penny the same way that you love the law dealing with a case dealing with a fortune. If the case of the penny comes first, do not remove him to be the last case to be heard. 7 Because the admonition to judges themselves was written already.

12 An additional explanation like the small like the large: this is like Onkelos renders it 8. Do not say, This one is impoverished and the other litigant is rich. Since it is a mitzvah to support the poor, I will find in favor of the poor and he will be supported with ease. An additional explanation Do not say, How can I harm the honor of the rich man for such a small amount of money. I will acquit him now and outside of court I will tell him, give the other litigant the money that you are obligated to pay. Favoritism is disqualified for any reason. The end does not justify the means. If you wish to help the poor, fulfill the Mitzvah of Tzedakah. If you wish to honor those who are so deserving, do it but outside of the courtroom. Do not fear before any person Do not be afraid 9. לא תגורו מפני איש - לא תיראו... person. the words of the small person like the words of the great מלי זעירא כרבא 8 9 In the early 1970 s there was a major dispute in the highest echelons of the Botei Din in Israel. It was a case that was prominent because it went out of the boundaries of Beis Din and became a cause celebre. One of the sides issued a p sak that was about 200 pages in length and, at its conclusion, the Dayan who issued it wrote that there were 9 other dayanim who agreed with the decision. It was noted, but not in the p sak itself, that the other 9 were concerned with the backlash that was expected to occur and therefore refrained from publishing their names. At that time, in Shiur, my Rebbe Rav Aharon Soloveichik ZT L told us that he concurred with the decision that was presented in that p sak but was very upset that the nine dayanim chose to remain anonymous. He told us that they violated.לא תגורו this verse of In addition, I will note that most of the Gedolei Yisroel disagreed vehemently with that p sak. A leading dayan was opposed to the p sak and refused to sign it and he felt a backlash stemming from his refusal. I had the privileged of learning with that Dayan ZT L for over 12 years. Although he, who became my Rebbe as well,

13 כי המשפט לא...ל 'קים הוא - מה שאתה נוטל מזה שלא כדין, אתה מזקיקני להחזיר לו, נמצא שהטית עלי המשפט: The judgment is G-d s that which you take illegally from a litigant will require Me to return it to him. The result is that you have turned the judgment against Me. That is, the errant dayan can force G-d to be part of the court case. If the errant dayan misjudges, he is forcing HaKodosh Boruch Hu to intervene and make restitution. HaKodosh Boruch Hu gave us the Torah so that He would not have to intervene. All of the above serve as an introduction to our Parshas Shoftim. Our Parsha, faithful to its name, begins with a continuation of the Mitzvos that are to guide our judges and our courts. We read (D vorim Perek 16/P sukim 18-20): ש פ ט ים ו ש ט ר ים ת ת ן ל ך ב כ ל ש ע ר י ך א ש ר ה' א... ל 'קי ך נ ת ן ל ך ל ש ב ט י ך ו ש פ ט ו א ת ה ע ם מ ש פ ט צ ד ק: לא ת ט ה מ ש פ ט לא ת כ יר פ נ ים ו לא ת ק ח ש ח ד כ י ה ש ח ד י ע ו ר ע ינ י ח כ מ ים ו יס ל ף ד ב ר י צ ד יק ם: צ ד ק צ ד ק ת ר ד ף ל מ ע ן ת ח י ה ו י ר ש ת א ת ה אר ץ א ש ר ה' א... ל 'קי ך נ ת ן ל ך: Rashi: Judges and officers you shall place for yourself in all of the gates of your cities that Hashem your G-d gives to you for your tribes and they shall judge the people with a righteous judgment. Do not tilt the law and do not show favoritism; do not take bribes because bribes blind the eyes of the wise and falsify righteous words. You shall pursue justice and justice in order that you shall live and inherit the land that Hashem your G-d gives to you. and my Rebbe Rav Aharon were very different in many ways, both fulfilled the Mitzvah of לא תגורו מפני איש with the highest level of personal and Torah integrity.

14 שופטים ושוטרים - שופטים, דיינים הפוסקים את הדין. ושוטרים, הרודין את העם אחר מצותם. שמכין וכופתין במקל וברצועה עד שיקבל עליו את דין השופט: Judges and officers Shoftim: the judges who decide the law. Officers: those who enforce the law upon people to follow the commandments of the judges. They hit and force with the cane and with the whip until the individual accepts the judgment of the judge. ושפטו את העם וגו' - מנה דיינין מומחים וצדיקים לשפוט צדק: They shall judge the people Appoint expert and righteous judges to judge righteously 10. ולא תכיר פנים - אף בשעת הטענות. אזהרה לדיין שלא יהא רך לזה וקשה לזה, אחד עומד ואחד יושב. לפי שכשרואה שהדיין מכבד את חבירו מסתתמין טענותיו: Do not show favoritism 11 Also when the litigants are giving their arguments before the court. This verse warns the judges not to be easy towards one of the litigants and to be difficult to the other, not to have one stand and the other be allowed to sit. The reason is that when one litigant sees that the judge honors his opponent 12, his claims become closed up 13. ולא תקח שחד - אפילו לשפוט צדק: 10 That is, in addition to each judge being obligated to judge righteously, the judicial system must do its part by insuring that those appointed as judges will be qualified by their expert knowledge and by their sterling personality. 11 We learned above that it is forbidden to show favoritism in the verdict. This verse teaches us that favoritism is forbidden in any part of the judicial process. 12 Although I wrote opponent, Rashi uses the,חברו his fellow man. That is because we do not have to assume that litigants are in personal opposition to each other. It could very well be, and so it should be, that two individuals who think differently about an issue, will agree to come together to court so that the dispute will decided by Torah law and each, both the winner and the loser will be pleased with the outcome since that is the Torah s will. 13 That is, the litigant who feels that the other side is favored will not be able to fully express himself if he feels that the court is biased.

15 Do not take bribery even to judge righteously 14. כי השחד יעור בזכותו: -משקבל שחד ממנו אי אפשר שלא יטה את לבו אצלו להפוך Because bribes blind once the judge receives a bribe from a litigant, it is impossible that he will not turn his heart towards him to seek his innocence. דברי צדיקים - דברים המצודקים, משפטי אמת: Righteous words Words that are righteous 15, truthful judgments. צדק צדק תרדוף - הלך אחר בית דין יפה: Pursue righteousness, righteousness see a good Beis Din A litigant may think that the opposing side is bribing the judge or has some other unfair advantage and thus may honestly wish to bribe the judge with the sincere wish that the judge will judge objectively, not be biased towards either side. 15 The commentators explain that apparently appropriate translation of דברי צדיקים is words of the righteous. That would imply the judge is righteous and we are speaking about his words. If the Torah was referring to righteous words, then the expected phrase would be.דברים צדיקים The commentators explain that there are other examples of a noun used in the when it is understood as being an independent,דברי here form, such as סמיכות noun words, and not as we would have normally translated it as words of, 16 All duly constituted Botei Din are authoritative. That is a lesson in our Parsha a few verses later. We read (Perek 17/Posuk 9) regarding a Halachic issue that cannot be resolved by local courts: וב את א ל ה כ ה נ ים ה ל ו י ם ו א ל ה ש פ ט א ש ר י ה י ה ב י מ ים ה ה ם ו ד ר ש ת ו ה ג יד ו ל ך א ת ד ב ר ה מ ש פ ט: You shall come to the Kohanim of Levi and to the judge who will be in those days and you shall investigate and they will tell you the word of the law. Rashi writes: ואל השופט אשר יהיה בימים ההם - ואפילו אינו כשאר שופטים שהיו לפניו אתה צריך לשמוע לו. אין לך אלא שופט שבימיך:

16 למען תחיה וירשת - על אדמתן: כדאי הוא מנוי הדיינין הכשרים להחיות את ישראל ולהושיבן In order that you shall live and inherit the appointment of qualified judges makes Israel worthy to be given life and to be place on their land. The Shofet, we see, is perhaps, the most central personality within Israel, the individual who has the greatest communal influence within the community itself and with its relationship with HaKodosh Boruch Hu. It is the Shofet who will bring Israel the merit to live in its land and to find favor before G-d and it is the Shofet who, heaven forbid, can be the catalyst of an outcome that it is quite the opposite. We are not surprised, then, when we read that Moshe Rabbenu had to cajole prospective candidates to accept the position of Shofet. Regarding leadership, To the judge who will be in those days even if he is not as good as those who were before him, you must listen to him; you only have the judge who is in your days. We are familiar with the phrase (Masseches Rosh Hashanah 25 b): יפתח בדורו כשמואל בדורו We view Yiftach in his generation as Shmuel was viewed in his generation. At the same time, if Yiftach and Shmuel lived in the same generation we would have no difficulty in discerning the greatness of Sh muel vis a vis the lesser quality of Yiftach and we would definitely wish our litigation to be heard in the court of Sh muel. As a practical lesson for our own times, we sometimes come across the phrase used by bloggers, consult your LOR, with LOR being an abbreviation of Local Orthodox Rabbi. Certainly such a suggestion is wise and generally in place. However, sometimes we find it used in the context of quotations of opinions of Rav Moshe Feinstein ZT L, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ZT L, or Rav Ovadia Yosef ZT L, and other Gedolei HaDor who make clear statements and then nonetheless, one s LOR is placed on a pedestal of authority of equality with them!

17 Rashi writes in Parshas B ha alosecha (Perek 11/Posuk 12) that the leader accepts that position: על מנת שיהיו סוקלים אתכם ומחרפים אתכם: On the condition that they will stone you and curse you. With specific regards to the Shofet, he writes (ibid. Posuk 17): על מנת שיקבלו עליהם טורח בני, שהם טרחנים וסרבנים: On condition that they will accept the burden of My children: they are burdensome and stubborn 17. Moshe Rabbenu, and our sages throughout the ages, was successful in finding unique individuals willing to take this responsibility as Rambam writes in Hilchos Sanhedrin (Perek 23/Halachos 8-9): 17 At the beginning of Sefer D vorim (Perek 1/Posuk 12) we read the plaintive words of Moshe Rabbenu Olov HaShalom: א יכ ה א ש א ל ב ד י ט ר ח כ ם ומ ש א כ ם ו ר יב כ ם: How can I alone carry your burden, your weight and your strife? Rashi explains: טרחכם - מלמד שהיו ישראל טרחנין. היה אחד מהם רואה את בעל דינו נוצח בדין, אומר יש לי עדים להביא, יש לי ראיות להביא, מוסיף אני עליכם דיינין: Your burden this teaches that Israel was bothersome. If a litigant saw his opponent being successful in judgment, he would say, I have witnesses to bring or I have a proof to bring or I want additional judges to judge this case. ומשאכם - מלמד שהיו אפיקורסין. הקדים משה לצאת, אמרו, מה ראה בן עמרם לצאת, שמא אינו שפוי בתוך ביתו. איחר לצאת, אמרו, מה ראה בן עמרם שלא לצאת, מה אתם סבורים, יושב ויועץ עליכם עצות רעות וחושב עליכם מחשבות: Your weight This teaches that they were heretics. If Moshe would leave his home early they would say, Why did Ben Amram need to go out perhaps not is all normal in his home. If he would leave late they would say, Why didn t Ben Amram leave early? What do you think he was planning all types of bad ideas about us. - מלמד שהיו רוגנים: Your strife this teaches that they were fighting. וריבכם

18 לעולם יראה דיין עצמו כאילו חרב מונחת לו על צוארו וגיהנם פתוחה לו מתחתיו, וידע את מי הוא דן ולפני מי הוא דן ומי עתיד להפרע ממנו אם נטה מקו האמת... The judge should always view himself as if there is a sword dangling over his neck and hell is open underneath him. He should know who he is judging and before Whom he is judging and Who will punish him in the future if he strays from the line of truth. כל דיין שאינו דן דין אמת לאמתו גורם לשכינה שתסתלק מישראל, וכל דיין שנוטל מזה ונותן לזה שלא כדין הקדוש ברוך הוא גובה ממנו נפשות...וכל דיין שדן דין אמת לאמתו אפילו שעה אחת כאילו תקן את כל העולם כולו וגורם לשכינה שתשרה בישראל... ושמא יאמר הדיין מה לי ולצרה הזאת תלמוד לומר (דברי הימים ב יט/ו ) 18 ועמכם בדבר משפט, אין לדיין אלא מה שעיניו רואות: Any judge who does not render a judgment that is completely true cause the Shechinah to depart from Israel. Any judge who improperly takes money from this litigant and gives it to the other litigant brings Hashem to take lives. Any judge who makes a completely true judgment, even once, it as if he has repaired the entire world and causes the Shechinah to reside in Israel. Perhaps the judge will say, Why do I need this trouble? That is the meaning of the verse, the word of the judgment is with you the judge can only render a verdict about that of which he is aware. However, the Sefarim 19 teach us that the Mitzvos of Shoftim and Shotrim do not refer only to the appointed officials who fulfill those tasks, respectively. It also refers to the individual vis a vis himself. The same responsibility that the 18 We read about the exemplary leadership of Yehoshofot in this verse: ו י אמ ר א ל ה ש פ ט ים ר א ו מ ה א ת ם ע ש ים כ י לא ל אד ם ת ש פ ט ו כ י ל ה' ו ע מ כ ם ב ד ב ר מ ש פ ט: He said to the judges, See what you are doing; you are not judging for mankind, but for G-d; the word on the judgment is with you. 19 See for example, Sh loh HaKodosh to our Parsha (Derech Chaim Tochachas Musssar d.h. lev.

19 communal judge or officer has to the society as a whole, is that which the individual has to himself, and through himself, ultimately, to the entire society. That is, if a person determines his proper behavior, does so without favoring his yetzer ha ra, and does his best to act after seeing the objective reality, he can bring personal blessing to himself and to the community. And, of course, the opposite is sadly true as well. It would appear that the task is daunting. How can a person who has not taken responsibility for himself, not developed the means of arriving at correct decisions, able to realize this momentous responsibility? I think that such is the lesson that can be learned, from the opening words of our Parsha and from a seemingly unrelated Rashi that is found a few verses later. Judges and officers. שופטים ושוטרים We have brought thousands of words discussing the judge. What is the,שוטר the officer? Rashi writes here, as we saw previously: ושוטרים, הרודין את העם אחר מצותם. שמכין וכופתין עליו את דין השופט: במקל וברצועה עד שיקבל Officers: those who enforce the people after the commandments of the judges. They hit and force with the cane and with the whip until the individual accepts the judgment of the judge. The officer is an enforcer. He makes no decisions on his own. Rather he fulfills the directives of others. It is apparent that the status of the officer is less than that of the judge. The judge has an independent mind. Of course, he is bound by the Torah; but he is independent nonetheless. The shoter, officer, is totally dependent. What is his status? How do we see him?

20 Do we see him as a mere functionary, someone who could be replaced by a welltrained robot or is there respect due to him as well. We read a few verses later (Perek 17/Posuk 6): ע ל פ י ש נ י ם ע ד ים א ו ש לש ה ע ד ים י ומ ת ה מ ת לא י ומ ת ע ל פ י ע ד א ח ד: On the word of two witnesses or three witnesses the person will die; he will not die on the word of one witness. Certainly the question begs to be asked: if two witnesses are sufficient, why does the Torah write three? In Parshas Vayikro (Perek 5/Posuk 17) Rashi brings Chazal that provide us with one of the answers to this question. He writes there: רבי עקיבא אומר הרי הוא אומר על פי שנים עדים או שלשה עדים וגו', אם מתקיימת העדות בשנים, למה פרט לך הכתוב שלשה, אלא להביא שלישי להחמיר עליו ולעשות דינו כיוצא באלו לענין עונש והזמה. אם כך ענש הכתוב לנטפל לעוברי עבירה כעוברי עבירה, על אחת כמה וכמה שישלם שכר טוב לנטפל לעושי מצוה כעושי מצוה. Rabi Akiva says, It says on the word of two witnesses or three witnesses etc.. If the testimony is valid with two, why does the Torah specify three? The Torah is teaching that we are strict even with the third witness to punish him the same as the first two if he has found to be a false witness. If such is the punishment to someone who is a secondary sinner 20, equating him with the full sinner, how much more so will G-d reward one who is secondary to those who do Mitzvos 21, equating him with those who do the full Mitzvah. 20 He is secondary because his testimony wasn t required since two witnesses had testified previously. 21 In this case, secondary means that he does not initiate the fulfillment of the Mitzvah; he is a facilitator only. That is the shofet/dayan is the initiator. He makes the decision; the shoter only follows through.

21 The message is very clear. If when we approach the Yom HaDin, understanding very well the Divine judgment that is upon us and our personal responsibility to ourselves, part of that personal decision-making may lead us to decide that we can be shotrim only, not shoftim. We may decide that we have not yet reached a level where we can use our own judgment, but, rather, are required for safety s sake just to do what we are told. We may think that there is no value in being a shoter. After all, the officer only follows orders and thus does not seem to carry any value in what he does. He is only,נטפל secondary. Rabi Akiva comes and teaches us that such a premise is wrong. One who chooses to follow those who are עושי מצוה has his own inherent value. He is not insignificant in the least bit. However, the fact that they are not insignificant may not satisfy some. Some may think, it is not enough not to be insignificant. I want to reach the highest level of significance. If I choose to be a shoter, because now I am not certain that I can exercise the judgment of the shofet, I will be stuck at this lower level forever. Such a thought is incorrect and the Torah itself teaches that lesson. The first time 22 that the Torah mentions shotrim, officers, is in connection with our ancestors in Egypt. 22 Although this is the first time that the Torah mentions shotrim, we have seen above (note 1) that Efron was appointed a shoter. The reason for that appointment was due to the honor that was bestowed upon him because Avraham Ovinu sought to make a purchase from him. It is interesting to wonder why Efron was made an officer and not a judge. Perhaps his appointment as only a shoter and not as a shofet was an indication of the limited respect that his fellow citizens had for him. Perhaps, they, too, saw the fact that Efron was a deceitful person and that he could be trusted only to follow the dictates of the society, but was incapable of judging would the proper dictates of that society should be.

22 We read (Sh mos Perek 5/P sukim 14-16): ו י כ ו ש ט ר י ב נ י י ש ר א ל א ש ר ש מ ו ע ל ה ם נ ג ש י פ ר ע ה ל אמ ר מ ד וע לא כ ל ית ם ח ק כ ם ל ל ב ן כ ת מ ול ש ל ש ם ג ם ת מ ול ג ם ה י ום: ו י ב א ו ש ט ר י ב נ י י ש ר א ל ו י צ ע ק ו א ל פ ר ע ה ל אמ ר ל מ ה ת ע ש ה כ ה ל ע ב ד י ך: ת ב ן א ין נ ת ן ל ע ב ד י ך ול ב נ ים א מ ר ים ל נ ו ע ש ו ו ה נ ה ע ב ד י ך מ כ ים ו ח ט את ע מ ך The officers of B nei Yisroel, who were appointed by the oppressive enforcers of Par o over B nei Yisroel, were beaten and it was said to them, Why have you not finished the fixed amount of bricks also yesterday and also the day before and also today? The officers of B nei Yisroel came and cried to Par o saying, Why are you doing so to your servants? Straw is not given to your servants and they say to us regarding the bricks, Do! Behold your servants are beaten and [the failure to meet the quota brings] sin to your people. We are certainly able to admire these shotrim; they were truly heroic. Rather than pass on the oppression that they experienced to their fellow Jews, they bore the painful brunt of the objective inability to produce the quantity of bricks that Par o demanded. We have no doubt that, in this case, by refusing to follow orders, they are with our continuing esteem three millennia later. Yet, they were still called shotrim. different appellation. The Torah did not provide them with a However, there is far more to this episode. Rashi unravels it for us: ויכו שטרי בני ישראל - השוטרים ישראלים היו וחסים על חבריהם מלדחקם, וכשהיו משלימים הלבנים לנוגשים שהם מצריים, והיה חסר מן הסכום, היו מלקין אותם על שלא דחקו את עושי המלאכה, לפיכך זכו אותם שוטרים להיות סנהדרין, ונאצל מן הרוח אשר על משה, והושם עליהם, שנאמר )במדבר יא/טז ) 23 אספה לי 23 In response to the complaint of Moshe Rabbenu that he could not bear the people alone, Hashem commanded him to appoint the Sanhedrin.

23 שבעים איש מזקני ישראל אשר ידעת, מאותן שידעת הטובה שעשו במצרים, כי הם זקני העם ושוטריו: The officers of B nei Yisroel were beaten These officers were Israelite and they were compassionate to their brethren and did not push them. When they presented the total of the bricks to the oppressors who were Egyptian and the total [required] amount was lacking, the Egyptians beat the officers because they did not push the Israelite workers sufficiently. Because of this, those officers became the [first] Sanhedrin and they were ennobled from the spirit of Moshe that was placed upon them as it says, Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel that you know -from those whom you know the good that they did in Egypt; those are the elders of people and their officers. We can choose to appoint ourselves as our personal shotrim when we find ourselves in the oppressive atmosphere of an Egypt that commands us to accede to the behavior and values that it attempts to impose upon us. When we are successful in rebuffing that terrible pressure, even as we feel,נטפלים לעושי מצוה downtrodden and beaten, we will find that we are no longer secondary to those who pave our way and show us the path we are to follow. We will be מצוה.עושי We will be the judges. We will be the Sanhedrin because with the success that we will find for ourselves we will empower ourselves for our own benefit and bring strength and hope for all of Israel. Shabbat Shalom Ksiva Vachasima Tova Rabbi Pollock ו י אמ ר ה' א ל מ ש ה א ס פ ה ל י ש ב ע ים א יש מ ז ק נ י י ש ר א ל א ש ר י ד ע ת כ י ה ם ז ק נ י ה ע ם ו ש ט ר יו ו ל ק ח ת א ת ם א ל א ה ל מ וע ד ו ה ת י צ ב ו ש ם ע מ ך: Hashem said to Moshe, Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel and its officers whom you know and take them to the Ohel Moed and they should stand erect there with you.