B"H

Tuesday, Menachem Av 28, 5780 / August 18, 2020

This week's Parsha Shoftim begins: "Judges and officers shall you make for you in all your gates, which the L-rd your G-d gives to your tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.  You shall not twist judgment; you shall not show favor to one over the other;neither shall you take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and pervert the words of the righteous.  Justice, justice you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land which G-d gives to you."

Q.  What does the Torah mean by the phrase, "perverts the words of the righteous"? How could a judge who accepts a bribe be called "righteous"?

A.  Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heshel, Rabbi of Apt, explains this with his personal experience. Two merchants once came before him to judge a case in which there was a dispute over a large sum of money.  After listening to their arguments, the rabbi had an intuitive feeling that one of the litigants was trying to cheat the other.

The man realized that things were not going in his favor.  In desperation, he decided to bribe the rabbi.  Knowing that the righteous rabbi would never accept a bribe, he thought of an idea.  He excused himself for a few minutes and went into the other room where the rabbi's coat was hanging. He placed a sum of money into the rabbi's coat pocket and returned to the courtroom.

A few minutes later, the Rabbi of Apt realized that he was beginning to reverse his verdict.  Although it seemed to him like a very clear case before, he now was beginning to think otherwise.  He was now finding reasons for the other litigant. 

This disturbed the rabbi very much so he decided to take a recess to rethink the situation.  He put on his coat and walked outside.  As he was strolling, he placed his hands in the coat pocket and found the money.  It didn't take the rabbi long to figure out who placed it there.

Immediately, he went back to the courtroom and exclaimed, "How great is the power of bribery to pervert the truth.  Although I had no idea that I was bribed, the bribery had its effect!"

"Now," exclaimed Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heshel, "I understand the words of the Torah that bribery "perverts the words of the righteous."  For even when the judge is righteous and has no idea that he is being bribed, the bribery will have the effect of twisting and distorting the truth."

Rosh Chodesh Elul begins Wednesday night, through Thursday and Friday. Parshat Shoftim is the first Shabbat in the month of Elul.  The month of Elul is the last month of the year, when we prepare for the New Year. It is the month designated to make a thorough accounting of all our deeds throughout the previous year, in order to correct the mistakes we made during the year and strive for higher goals in the New Year. The beginning of the Parsha, "Judges and officers youshall appoint toyou,”reminds us of our responsibilities toward ourself and our fellow during this month of Elul.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY