Rav Aaron Dovid Poston: In Order To Keep Israel Alive and Settled in Their Land

Heat. Heat. Shalom everybody. Welcome back to the Iban Midash. Welcome home to Torah. A warm welcome home to Torah. For those who are familiar, we are using the clear as the basis for our discussion. And if you're interested in the original Hebrew sheets, there's a link down below. Just as a preface, because we're in the month of El and we're talking about appointing judges over us, just imagine we're about to go to Rashana, right? We're in the month of L. Today's Rokto. So the idea of appointing judges over yourself is going to be the theme which is no coincidence that this is coming out immediately before Rashashana right before Rashashana. Uh we do have a campaign. We we distribute a lot of sedaka to uh needy families, families in financial distress and there's a link below you can donate as well besides finding the important Hebrew sheets. There'll be a link. Okay, so let's begin. Again, we are always textheavy, which we encourage you to learn the Hebrew, but it's very spiritually enlightening and at least that's how I look at it. So, let's begin the first verse, right? These are judges and officers. The officers are the ones who enforce what the legislature has developed. That's the judges. The clear card wants to point out is second person sing second person singular right place upon you place upon yourself in all your gates no say in all the gates and all the cities that Hashem has given you. We're talking about what? Erits is for your tribes. Notice it says the shaft too. And what will these judges do? They will judge the people. Mishedic. The clear card wants you to focus on the word vishafu. Notice that it's not um it's not a command form, but you are commanded to place judges over yourselves, right? And it's singular, over yourself, which is significant. And then it says they will judge the people. And what his thesis is at least in the beginning is that if you appoint proper judges because that's the mitzvah to to um appoint judges that are not corruptible who have integrity integrity. Okay. And as a result, if you appoint judges, remember the kind of person who's in a position or authority to appoint or even place as a candidate, right? We know in America we have the highest officials usually make someone a candidate and then it passes through the Senate, right, for the Supreme Court. So what is the expectation? Everyone knows. Nobody's right hiding under a rock that doesn't know this, right? You'll notice every time there is something that goes to the Supreme Court, they already know that X amount of judges were appointed by this president or by that president, right? Is he either Republican or Democrat? And the majority of justices usually right are going to end up voting the way well at least remember they were chosen because of their political views but it's as if they owe something to the person who appointed them. So if the person who appoint them ever had to go before this court you might expect that the judge is going to be biased. This is what we call a corrupt system. Okay. So what does God want? God wants you to appoint someone over yourself. Meaning you're under the law as opposed to above the law, which we all know, I shouldn't say we all know, but seems to be that there were certain uh politicians who are criminals and we, you know, the media, they claim this person is above the law, right? There seems to be a two-tier just a system of justice where you have, right? Not everyone is going to be judged the same way and that's going to be a problem. So God wants us to have a correct system, a non-corrupt system. And so the clear card begins by pointing certain things out says like this hoar according to the clear card and he understood Hebrew better than most of us. And even if we understood Hebrew, he's a very deep thinker. So he says what it should have said it would have been consistent you shall place over yourself in order that they will judge you right wouldn't that make sense says in order they should judge the people but it says is what it should have said in order that they will judge you but you know what it he claims right there that it would have been consistent Right? The first statement is place over you singular second person and therefore they would um they would that's why he's suggesting that they will judge you. But the clear goes on and says and in place of that they will judge as we know judge the people with the yud which makes it not just future tense as opposed to present tense perfect but future tense in a command form that they must judge the people. They will judge the people. They're commanded to judge the people. No, since that yud future tense is not there, he says it's just a statement of fact. Again, going back to this thesis that if you appoint judges who are not going to show favor to you, the one who's involved in and has the authority to appoint the judges, then for sure as a result they will also judge the people fairly because that's how the PK ends, right? that they're going to judge the people in a with righteous judgment. So thear goes on, but rather the statement that they're going to judge without the yud, it's just a fact. That is when he uses the words, it's just a narrative. It's just a fact that will come to pass if you appoint judges with integrity. Now he goes on to say the actual clarification and explanation is as follows. That this verse is actually a command, a command to those who have the ability, who has the have the authority that is in their ability to appoint judges that when you appoint them, you appoint them on a certain condition, I'm Right? In order that they will judge you, they're going to judge the people who are in the authority and position to appoint the judges. So in order that they would that they will not show favor, they will not be flattered. Right? Flattery is the real the word here. They won't show favor even to those whose job or authority is to appoint judges. Now, what about um this idea that it says the people, right? It's you're going they're going to judge the people. Okay? So, it does say you shall appoint over yourself. So these people in the authority to appoint the judges, they're appointing them over themselves. They're appointing people who are righteous judges over the people with the authority. Now what results from this? What stems from this? What comes out from appointing judges with integrity that are not going to show the people with our authority favor is one of the 13 harmonical principles in which we derive lessons from what this is called basic logic that if they're going to judge you who have the authority to appoint them and you're going to appoint them over yourself and they're going to judge you properly, then for sure they're going to judge the rest of the people properly. That is just pure logic because they're not going to um show you any favor. The ones who appointed are not going to be shown favor. It stands to reason that they're not going to show favor to anybody else because if they owe anybody favor, it's the person that was responsible for putting him in that position. Now that now we understand why Moses says too, right? They will judge. This is a language or terminology of we said is just a narrative. It's the simple um like facts, the facts on the ground. That is what will be. This will be the result of appointing judges who are not going to show you favor meaning you the authority to appoint them. Then for sure they will not show anybody else favor because if anybody they owe favor to it's you. Now the clear goes on. Now he lived 450 almost 500 years ago and he says something a little bit harsh to his generation. This is not like what we do in our in our days. meaning what the Torah prescribes we're not really doing properly because it's a fact according to his observation in his generation that those people who have the authority to appoint judges to put them up as candidates boreo either they they're choosing they're choosing people who are their relatives or people they're familiar with, people they know. He says it's as if as if right without words. As soon as I appoint you or put you up as a candidate, then it's as if we made a condition bearish. Even though we didn't say it, it's as if we made an explicit condition unspoken that you will that the the judge will favor me who appointed him favorably. And the clear card is saying that's what is happening in our days. This is what's happening. And as a result, what stems from this is that the entire people, other people, people who are not related will not be judged properly. Because what does the judge need to do? He's obligated to judge everyone equally when all cases come before him. Doesn't matter. A guy is dressed in a beautiful suit, tie, right? And the other person is dressed like a schlump, disheveled. You cannot think that the person who's clean shaven and well-dressed is innocent. He could be lying too. He could be taking the person for all kinds of nefarious reasons. So he says like this, shalom, yonulo. Remember I I'm sure it's still the case. Many court rooms have a gallery where it's not just the litigants and their lawyers. Many times that's the only people that are allowed, but there are are other cases where it's open to the public. So imagine you are sitting there maybe 5 hours, 6 hours, maybe one day, two days observing. Imagine going up to the judge and saying to him, but this is what it says. In order the people won't say the following, you know, I was watching your your verdicts and I noticed you were giving and I'm going to use the word, he doesn't say leniencies to your relatives. He just says you gave such and such to your relatives. Oh, or to your friends or even to your townsmen, right? people you're familiar with from your hometown, but I'm watching you and right now I notice what you're doing to people who are not your relatives who are right um you're ruling differently i.e. may be more harsher. You're giving your relatives the lenient the lenient. Um so basically this would harm everybody. This kind of judge is corrupt and that is not the kind of judge that we want. So now the clear is going to suggest a deeper layer of what Mosha said. Remember Moshe said they will judge the people. Now we mentioned it in third person. We asked, shouldn't it have been consistent? So they will judge you. Place them upon yourself so they will judge you. That would have been consistent. So the clear card says on the level of a re is a deeper level simp than the simple shot the simple understanding that the truth is anywhere in the in the in the five books of Moses where it mentions the wordam who's it speaking about so rashi says on numbers 11:1 one where the people were complaining. So anytime the word the people appear, Rashi says over there when it says the people sought to complain the heim that Rashi says over there this is talking about the there's other places it mentions that whenever the is used it's talking about the in other words the most inferior of the people. another place it says it's talking about the rav I don't think there's any contradiction there I think it all means the same thing so the word people by the way when God says to Moses about your people who you took out of Egypt that's a clear-cut uh proof he was talking about the Arav when God speaks highly of the Jewish people he says amii my people go himself calls the Jewish people my people but in in general just the word is referring to the the evil people it says in right you're a judge and when the litigants are standing there in front of you right they're going to be you're supposed to view them both as evil as guilty until the verdict is said and when they both accept the verdict then you look at them as sadiki. Okay, that's in periods 1 verse 8. So this is a warning or statement of fact. This is what a judge has to view, right? As if they're both guilty. Again, just because a man is dressed nice and the other one isn't should never be a reason to think that one is guilty and one is innocent. But and when they come before you hear all the evidence, you have to be fair. The So, what do they say? I think in America, you're innocent until proven guilty. Now, that's true. I'm not going to deny that's true. But for the judge has to look at both to get to the bottom of what happened. So he can't show favoritism as we're going to show as we're going to explain later. But once they accept the verdict then they become as righteous people. So the Pik said right that you will they will judge the people meaning they're going to look at the people equally as guilty um at the time of judgment. That's why it says they're going to judge the people that when they come in front of you for judgment, you're going to look at them just like all the people. You're going to judge the people as if they were that's like a nickname, right? The word ham is a an associated name with the evil people and therefore in your eyes at the time of judgment you're going to look at the people equally as if they're all guilty until the evidence says otherwise. Now we did say that it starts off which is first person and then at the end we said it speaks third person about the people but it also says right you're going to judge them righteously. There's going to be a righteous judgment. So what does that mean? As we said, after the judgment, because they're looked at as guilty, but at the end of the day, it's that after they accept the judgment, they're transformed into being righteous, at least in the eyes of the judge. For the litigants will appear righteous in your eyes. when once they accept the judgment. So the car continues he has another interpretation of what it means place upon yourself there is a concept we spoke about it recently in order to be a judge because you're basically correcting the behaviors right of other people that you have to first correct yourself before you can correct others is a general concept anyway in rebuke and we spoke a few weeks ago about the famous rabbi who had a tree that overhung into the th the public thoroughfare and it blocked people and did damage and there was a person brought to court in front of him who had exactly the same problem and what he'd said to the person to the defendant. He said to him that I want you to come back tomorrow for the judgment. I mean that puts the guy out. He has to come back the next day. But why did the rabbi tell him to come back tomorrow? because overnight he cut his own tree because it was in the public thoroughare. How can he judge someone else and tell him it had to be cut? So he went home that night and he cut his tree. The next day the litigant who knew this rabbi had a tree in the public thoroughare. When the rabbi said to him, "You have to cut your tree." He says, "But rabbi, don't you have exactly the same problem I have? How can you tell me such a thing?" Well, the rabbi had some justification, of course, cuz he already cut down the tree. And he said to this litigant, "Listen, I'm telling you to cut down the tree because that's the right thing to do. Now, you can go to my house and see if that's true. You're making a a comment that I have a tree overhanging into the public thorough affair. If I do, I will cut mine as well." But of course, the person went checked it out and it was already cut. So, you cannot try to help others until you help yourself. You can't correct others until you correct yourself. And that's what it means. Let's hear another inter interpretation, right? These judges and officers each person, each of you, it's singular. Everyone has to appoint these judges over himself. I mentioned this is beginning of meaning you have to you have to fix yourself first. the and only later and then you can judge people. You cannot judge the people until you have fixed yourself first, right? Which is the idea that when you when you want to judge others, it means to fix others. You want to correct them. You have to fix yourself first. Now, there's a Gumar and Baba Bashra 58b that says If a judge ends up being taken to court and money is rightfully extracted from him because he is in the wrong. I mean, if he owes somebody money, he should correct it. Why wait to go to court to find out you're guilty? So if that's the case, if you were ever in a court where you were found guilty and had to pay up, you're not you're not qualified to be a judge. Make sense? So I think today we have uh social media and they claim once you're on social media, you do something stupid, you do something wrong, you do something immature, uh this stays with you forever. So, number one, that's my warning to anybody. First of all, you should never do these things, and then you shouldn't record yourself doing them. And then, you shouldn't put put your yourself up on on social media. These things stay with you forever. So, start from the beginning. You want to be a judge or you know that you're qualified to be a judge, then stay straight, right? Pay up your debts to society. Pay up when you know that you're wrong. Okay. Now, we're going to start the next verse. Loat. Now the word tate doesn't literally mean pervert. You shall not pervert judgment. What it means is to lean, to slant. Okay? Lean. Slant. So the the scales of justice are not even. That's what we're going to consider. Perversion of justice when the scales of justice are not even. Okay? And then also it says don't recognize people mean don't show favor to people. Okay. And the third thing is low and don't take a bribe. You should not accept a bribe. Now I want you to notice before we go on there's a v. Where do you see the vv? Not before don't pervert justice. That is a single iser. a single negative commandment. Don't show favoritism. There's no VV there either. But then in the third and don't take sh. So the word and now I know in English you can get away with saying a few items without the word and you put a comma. The comma is in place of and then by the last you don't put a comma and you say and use the word and. But in Hebrew, at least in this pik, the clear wants to say that basically what you have even though you have three distinct commandments, you really have two are distinct and the third is a subcategory of the second one. So you have like A and you have B and then you have sub subcategory of B. That's how he's going to explain this. And what he says makes a lot of sense. from the fact that it does not say with a VV with the VV, right? Don't um don't show favoritism. There's no VV there. But it does say with the don't accept a bribe, there is a Vik. What does that mean? that the first well actually I skipped some what comes out from this what do you hear from it what does it make heard you shall not pervert justice lo favoritism these first two commands are distinct on their own they're separate they're each on their own but a val low. It does say with a VV, right? It's a to of his conclusion is, and we'll see why, don't take a bribe is a subcategory of don't show favoritism. Let me ask you something. We spoke about you're the judge and you see two people in front of you. one who's clean shaven with a nice tie, nice watch, nice shoes. The whole aura about him looks very professional and maybe even wealthy. The other guy is disheveled in dirty clothes. Would you ever think that you would try to get a bribe money out of the poor person? No. the bribe, the idea of hoping for the judge hope that he would receive a bribe would only be from someone who has the money to pay. Let's just say like that. Obviously, there are some really corrupt um systems that they don't care and they'll hold the person even though he's poor to such great um account and perhaps enslave these people. But in general, the judge who's corrupt is going to respect, meaning he's going to show favoritism. He's respecting someone's presence. And that is something you shouldn't do. So what do we know? We said low pim. Listen to the words. Low don't um makir is to recognize punn his face. We're translating understanding it is don't show favoritism. But the word punim face what does that tell us? The clear brings a proof in Genesis chapter 41 verse 56 that aim aimar that when we go to paras mikates um verse 4156 that what was happening that there was a famine in Egypt and Yakov had sent this the the kids to go find food. Let's see where is it. Here it is. It's number 11 on the source sheet. So the famine spread over all the face of the land and Yseph opened all the storehouses in which there was grain and he sold it to the Egyptians and the famine intensified in the land of Egypt. So when it says when does the famine really get felt by all the people? Once it reaches the upper echelons of society, right? As long as the wealthy still have food, they can hold off on on what we'll say like total uh revolution. There might be a revolution coming from the bottom up, but as long as there's still food in the cupboards of the wealthy, it doesn't affect everybody and it doesn't have the same effect. you know, they have more political power, they have more monetary power to over uh overtake the government. Just happens to be at this time as we're speaking about it, it could be in Iran that this will eventually happen and there'll be an overthrow of the government. But it's only when it's going to reach the inner circles of the IRGC, right? Then you'll have a total uh, you know, uprising that will have longlasting effect. So but the Hebrew is alopen on the face of the land. So if you look at the rashi on that verse who are the face of the land these are the yashim these are the rich people. Okay. So what is the clear trying to say that the idea that having um showing favor which is what it means panim the face is referring to don't look at someone like as wealthy you're going to get a bribe that's what I believe the clear is saying so when it says don't show favoritism it literally means don't recognize their face. We just saw in Rashi that verse, right, that the wealthy are called the face of the earth. If you're not showing them respect, you're not looking them as if they're wealthy. So then you're also not going to be interested in the bride mayhem. The idea is whoever respects the presence of wealth. He does so in the hope of receiving a bribe from them. Now the clear card goes on and he suggests an insight regarding that original prohibition. Lo mishbat don't pervert justice but we all know it doesn't mean pervert per se it means slant leaning don't slant or lean the judgment that's meaning the judge should not put his finger on the scale to do that so the clear says the expression the lush on the idea of leaning is you shove Again, it's like a command that in the eyes of the judge, the litigants must be equal in your eyes. As if, right, there were two pans on a balance scale and they're supposed to be equal. without either one of these sca these pans on the balance scale being slanted to one side or the other but in right in your way in your eyes they weigh the same low right this is the same idea don't show respect to someone's presence meaning It's at least in your eyes make it like you don't recognize either of them. Now I would say that's going to be difficult in a small town, right? Because you have to have a basin in in every small village. And then you the larger towns, they have a basin not of three but of 23. And then of course in Shalim you have 70. And according to some you even have Sanhedrin of 70 in each of the tribal areas, right? So you have based in him all over the place. So if you're in a small town, how do you not recognize the judge? You saw them in uh maybe your kids play together. Maybe you saw him in the grocery store. Maybe you're in the same field working. I don't know. But I think it would be very difficult. And what you need to do, what you should do depends on your relationship. At some point you may have to recuse yourself. Right? Because the judge cannot be he can't even be a witness. He can't be a relative. And again, depends on the type of of criminal or monetary issues, but in most cases, you can't be a relative even. You can't be biased. So, you would have to recuse yourself. Now, there's a that third prohibition in the original statement. What does the word shad mean? There's a gammor that tells us. So the clear card says the lion of shad it means like it's like the shin of shahoo and then the wordad which could mean many different things could mean one it could mean sharp. Okay. Um, so that's what the Gomorrah says in Gmorubas 105b. It says by the rabbis the word is like that is one that one. What does that mean? that both the the the receiver of this bribe of this money and the giver of this money they become one likeminded in many different ways they become like one person there's an idea and that's why I believe we all need to get married men and women to each other because there's like these opposites right there's a feminine there's a masculine And they they are by nature connected. There's this a natural opposition. How God has a great sense of humor, but there's a natural opposition and one will correct the other. Okay? Why am I bringing this up? Because usually, and I'm going to speak for men, I can't speak for the women, that men usually have a hard time finding fault within themselves. Okay? And when you take the bribe, what's going to happen? You become like him. So, you're not going to find fault in him either. You become one. Since you have a hard enough time finding fault in yourself, trust me, your your spouse will do that for you. Um, of course, when we were young, our parents did that for us, right? But, uh, you have a hard time finding it in yourself. And if the person is really we're talking about he's offering you a bribe or you're asking for a bribe you become that the people themselves the receiver and the giver become one you know one minded but it's going to be really be hard to find the negativity in the other person. Now the clear does not like this explanation. Remember, it's a Gomorrah. So, it's not that he he's not dismissing the garra. He's having a hard time understanding why the people, right? Don't we call the envelope the bribe? So, if it's a noun, the bribe, it's not going on the people. It's going on the the envelope of money. And that's what he says. This is not really clear because the very term that it is one well at least or maybe sharp we'll see is the name of the money not the owners not the giver or the receiver but the money itself this is we'll calltor Toal question is it really because the the money it was the money that caused these owners meaning the giver and taker to become one. Therefore we're going to call the money on its name which is rhetorical because he is of the opinion that it's the money not the people. And he goes on to give a a deeper explanation near Leafar. It seems correct to explain the following. The idea of the word is a lion of means sharp, right? Even if it means one, like when you sharpen a knife, the two sides of the knife becomes sharp. That one spot, you know, the the tip of the blade, right? Where the blade joins from both sides, that becomes sharp. Okay, it becomes more onelike. So can mean sharp and does mean sharp. So he's going to explain it the following way. We have a verse in Proverbs 27:17. That iron sharpens iron. Iron against iron makes sharp, right? That's how you sharpen a knife or a sword through right iron sharpens iron. What does this this money do? The money itself, it's similar to a knife to a sharp knife that cuts quickly, right? We've all tried to cut with a dough knife a tomato and we've had a hard time, right? The sharper the knife, the easier it is to cut. And not only that, the sharper it is, it slices right through. Matun means to go slow. Okay? To be deliberate in judgment, right? Right. The judge has to be to deliberate, to speak it out, to hear both sides, to delay and not cut, not slice through the judgment quickly. But when he receives that money, what's going to happen? alter. He knows immediately at the moment that he receives that envelope which direction, which way the judgment is going to lean towards. And therefore, he's cutting, he's giving the verdict already in his mind. Even if he delays and makes like he's really thinking about things originally when he got the envelope he already decided he already know knew where and how to cut the judgment as quick as possible as if cutting with a sharp knife. So it's not the judge who's cutting the judgment. It's the money that already cut the judgment. It's rather the money that's what's cutting because it's the money that is sharp and cuts quickly. Now the clear has something to say about the very fact in verse 20 it says sedic sedic tier righteousness righteousness you shall pursue. What's tier? to chase, to run, to go quickly. This actually hints to the idea that the judge needs to be slow. Is to go slow, to wait, to pause, right? Same route. Now, we're not talking about every judgment. They're deliberating which you need to do but once the group of judges have already concluded they didn't make the sock they didn't give the final verdict but they're leaning in the direction that the person is innocent they should should they should conclude get as quickly as they can to the end of the judgment that the person is innocent and declare his innocence. If they're concluding, they're they're arriving towards the idea that this person is most likely guilty, then what they should do is slow down and wait till the next day. Do not come to the conclusion that he's guilty today. We're talking about a capital crime. Once they take him out to kill him, it's too late. Maybe there will be evidence overnight that'll be delivered by the morning or or some idea that wasn't thought about. They really are not interested in in in killing people. This is what it says in our oral Torah that any Sanhedrin that killed one person in 70 years, it's as if they have blood on their hands. They have blood on their hands. So they really did everything they could to find people innocent. But here it just mentions right sedic that you should chase but it's sedic. Sedic implies innocence and righteousness righteousness righteousness you shall pursue. I mean simple shot is to set up systems of justice. But in the meantime when someone is going to be declared innocent be quick to declare their innocence. Let's read. See if you um are deliberate in judgment, which is the right thing. But what might happen is enoaden means holding out too long. And how do they translate it? Prolong, right? It may you you're going to cause an affliction. That's what it is. Eno is affliction. The affliction comes as a result because you're delaying the judgment more than necessary. So it is necessary to delay but not more than that. That's why the Torah says when it comes to righteousness pursue quickly. And we know that Isaiah in chapter 1 verse 21 gave rebuke to the people and he says yolimbo that righteousness lodged in her. What does that mean? So what was Isaiah giving them rebuke about? that righteousness when they had been um expuned, when they had been declared innocent, but the final verdict wasn't out yet. The guilt the guilt of the uh of the court was they didn't declare him innocent until the next day. And that is a problem. Let's go back into the clear where we just read in Isaiah that righteousness lodged in her. He was admonishing the Jewish people in par like we explained earlier in par Deuteronomy of that when you have a capital case you need to conclude you want to conclude on that very day his aquid but only the following day when it comes to ava when it comes to a conviction Okay. If he is guilty, it's good. It's it's it's worthwhile waiting the extra day in case more evidence would come to to let him off the hook. But what did they do? They reversed the procedure. Okay? sedic they would lodge righteousness meaning the acquid they would hold over till the next day till they acquitted the person the based on that that's what it means remember there's a double language but nevertheless righteousness you shall chase after when he's innocent go as quick as you can to uh release him The language of rode chasing is it's a it it reflects and teaches about haste and quickness that you should be quick to give the verdict once it becomes clear that the person is innocent that's what it means righteous but we have double righteousness It says, so why is it said twice? So the first time it's said is because of the meaning we just said that one should be quick to declare the innocent and and the other one is to exclude a verdict of conviction which one would be obligated to wait until the next day. Right? If you think the guy's guilty then wait until the next day. Do not pursue. Only pursue when it comes to righteousness. Meaning only chase and go quickly when it comes to righteousness. If the judges are going to declare the person guilty, then do not do not be quick to judge. Now the clear has his own idea of the word. Listen to this. We're going to learn that if you have a court of justice or courts in Israel that are are corrupt, this is like the worst thing for us. This would bring war. And who knows? I'm not saying. Maybe the war we're in or have been in, maybe it's because of the corrupt system that we have. And maybe, just maybe, we have to change the system around a little bit. Okay, that happens to be what before October 7th a lot of um tension in the land of Israel was over the authority that the Supreme Court has. But this idea goes way back to the beginning of the state. It's one of we'll call original sins if if I can say such a thing of Israel to have a system of justice that's not based on the Torah and was handed over to the secular. But let's just read the words. He says is is like a sharp sword. It's sharp like a sword that cuts. Now we have is perversion of justice isol. I believe this is in peravo chapter 5 Mishna 8. It says that perversion of justice brings a sharp sword to the world. It's brought down in per chapter 5 that deals with all these different numbers and number 10 is quite uh um used a lot. So it says in that war sword the the sword is like representative of war and that's sharp. It comes to the world on account of the prolonging of judgment and the perversion of judgment. We said there's two different things. One is when there's an innocent person and you're holding them over, which we know happens, and the perversion of judgment, which unfortunately we also know happens. Right? Therefore, the what does the bribe do? It pervert it perverts the judgment. The the judgment is called the perverted judgment is the sword that is sharp. Okay. So I'm sure I'm not the only rabbi who speaks about the system of justice in the land of Israel today in 5786. We need a we need a major transformation. Okay. Now based on what we just said the word you're not supposed to take. How does that relate to the idea of well if you read the whole verse it says also so that you will live. So not only righteousness righteousness you shall pursue but it's so that you will live in the land of Israel. Let's read the words. So the Torah is going to caution. The word his here is not just be warned but become enlightened. Right? Once you're enlightened about the fact that the judges are pro prolonging judgment and then it says right you shall pursue righteousness shall pursue which is saying what we already said that one should be quick the judge should be quick to say that so and so plon you are innocent and reveal his innocence because like we said earlier, once you do certain things, unfortunately, they have a long history of staying around. So, the sooner the judge declares his innocence, the better. But it also says, "So, you shall live." And what does that mean? Ultimately, you will be saved from the sword. You'll be saved from the wars. You'll be spared from the sword that we already said comes in as a punishment for accepting bribes because of the word chau. This this perversion of justice brings a sharp sword. That's how we're the clear is interpreting this. Now why is it so important to come and live in the land and possess the land? That is our hope that we will stay here for a long time. So the clear is looking at Rash's comments on that verse the you're going to come and possess the land. So number 15 on the source sheet is is Deuteronomy 16:20 that says but right after it says that you may live it says so you will take possession of the land. which Hashem gives you. So what does it mean just as just as you shall pursue? Seek out a good court. Make sure you have uh judges with good integrity. And if you ever need a court, make sure you choose the good judges. But that you may live and possess the land. That's what the verse says. Drum roll, please. The appointment of fitting judges, Rashi says, is sufficient merit to keep Israel alive and settled in their land. This to me it's so clear this is one of our biggest problems and for some reason we are not addressing it because it's a hot potato. I have to agree. So maybe it's not the right time but it's it's always the right time to become educated, right? when the right time will present itself, things will change. But we have to become educated. And one of the biggest problems facing the land of Israel since its conception is the I'll just say it is the is the court system especially the Supreme Court because everything filters down from there. Okay. So let's see where the clear card left off. Perish Rashi. Rashi explains that in the merit of appointing justices, the real good judges, that's what it's talking about in this parha is this is sufficient to keep the Jewish people alive. You want the Jewish, I'm hello. How many people are screaming that? Well, in order to have that in concrete terms, we have to have a proper system of justice and to settle them upon the land. Now, I think what it's really saying is that through appointing the proper judges, then the Jews will be able to settle the land because it's like a it's nonsustainable. As long as you have a corrupt system of justice, the Jews will try to possess the land, to settle the land, but they will be thrown off by their own judges. I mean, you know, I'm just just saying um that they won't be able to keep that um settlement alive, right? You want to keep the Jewish people alive and to settle the land. And the pos the passage continues and concludes. so that you will live and possess the land. There's a concept it's also in perot that if it wasn't for the fear of the government, the people would swallow each other alive. Right? many of the times and throughout in in Galut in exile even for non-Jewish government non-Jewish government we prayed for the government that it should have some kind of authority where that people would fear so society wouldn't descend into chaos and anarchy so too there is and maybe especially I know certain people that would not pray for the government I think the government needs our prayers more than ever before. I'm all for a mish for the government because they need our heal. They need healing. They need help from Hashem. So that's what it says in peravos. If not for the fear of the government, people would swallow each other alive. Therefore, the logical conclusion is that if you have proper judges to govern the land, this will ultimately keep the Jewish people alive. We will not swallow each other alive. Meaning the people will not swallow each other alive. But what does it say? And to settle them in their land. That is to cause them to dwell in Israel in peace. Now there is a puss in proverbs 29:4 that says the idea is through a just through justice a king establishes the land. So this idea of king also acting as a judge and standing for and defending the right of the justice system. So we see a land is settled peacefully only through the merit of justice. You hear that guys? We want to settle the land but we have to have justice. The perversion the opposite is also true. Perversion of judgment actually causes the corruption of the land and we see that by the generation of the flood which was obvious that the land became corrupt but also Yro Yro gave advice and in his braha in his words we're going to see this idea he says in Exodus 18 23 in parashmote he tells Moses about the system of justice right appointing other people on lower lower courts so they can deal with some of the easier matters and then things that are difficult will come up to you and you'll deal with them. But it says he starts by saying if you do this thing that I suggest to you and the this entire people as well it does mean each person but it's the entire people says Haz shall arrive in his place. So that's singular. Mako meaning the entire people will arrive in its place. Keep that in mind. So it starts off plural and ends singular and meaning his place. So the clear card says if you're saying that each person right in the beginning of the verse the entire people meaning each person should arrive in in their place but it also says yosh bashalam that will dwell in peace. So it could have said each man shall dwell in his place in peace. Remember makomao is singular so it could not have been referring to the places of all the people. What the Torah must have meant or what Israel must have meant was each man would dwell in peace. But if that's the case, why omit each man? Why doesn't it say literally each person? That's the first question. And secondly, the clear asks that he presumably means to say that each man will dwell peacefully in his place in the wilderness, right? In the desert because as if it's talking about right then and there. So why does it say that he will arrive in his place, right? The Hebrew was bishalam I'm sorry yavo that he will arrive in peace right look in source number uh 21 it says alo yal so they're not talking about the desert We're talking about Israel. They will come to rest in their place in peace. So what does that mean? Where is this place if it's not the desert? That Israel was actually referring to the general area that was designated for the entire people. Ratolos Shama. This is exactly where they intended to go. They were in the desert and they knew they were going to Israel. And Yro was speaking about the the endgame going into the land of Israel. What was Israel actually saying when he gave this great idea of the hierarchy of system of justice that through the very act of appointing good judges that's how you're going to get in there. That's what's going to happen. Not only going to are you going to get in there, but you're going to have a sustainable society where you will not be killed. There will not be war and there will be peace. So Makobo doesn't mean his place but rather its place. The place of the entire Jewish people as a whole. And now we understand why Gizro did not say each man but its place as a whole referring to the merit that the Jewish people have in order to arrive in Erit Israel. And I'll just read the last line over here. This verse two would indicate that the merit of appointing judges is sufficient for the Jewish people to settle the land peacefully as we have explained Rashi's words. So that's pretty heavy. I get it. Maybe politically we're not there yet. But we have to educate. We have to be educated and educate others. Uh we want a we want we want to live here. We want a sustainability and that's going to perhaps what they call hau a revolution of ideas of revolution of ideas. Let me let me leave it at that. a revolution of ideas and sharing how important it is to have uncorruptible, incorruptible judges that are not going to be corrupted, but have integrity and will keep the Torah themselves and share uh and help correct others by proper judgments based on Torah law. And with that will say uh this is we're getting ready for rash shana the great judgment day. So we have to fix ourselves before we can fix others. And that's that's my message to you. So I don't know how we can fix the world but we have to start with ourselves and we'll have a peaceful shabas and a great week coming up. And I always say have a great year. Have a great year. See you next week. Heat. Heat. It's your shing.