(יח) שֹׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ בְּכָל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר ה' אֱלֹקֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ לִשְׁבָטֶ֑יךָ וְשָׁפְט֥וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם מִשְׁפַּט־צֶֽדֶק׃ (יט) לֹא־תַטֶּ֣ה מִשְׁפָּ֔ט לֹ֥א תַכִּ֖יר פָּנִ֑ים וְלֹא־תִקַּ֣ח שֹׁ֔חַד כִּ֣י הַשֹּׁ֗חַד יְעַוֵּר֙ עֵינֵ֣י חֲכָמִ֔ים וִֽיסַלֵּ֖ף דִּבְרֵ֥י צַדִּיקִֽם׃ (כ) צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף לְמַ֤עַן תִּֽחְיֶה֙ וְיָרַשְׁתָּ֣ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־ה' אֱלֹקֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃ (ס)
(18) You shall appoint magistrates and officials for your tribes, in all the settlements that Adonai your God is giving you, and they shall govern the people with due justice. (19) You shall not judge unfairly: you shall show no partiality; you shall not take bribes, for bribes blind the eyes of the discerning and upset the plea of the just. (20) Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that Adonai your God is giving you.
Oath taken by United States Supreme Court Justices
“I, _________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as _________ under the Constitution and laws of the United States; and that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
Margaret Frisch Klein
In Memory of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
They say that when someone dies
On Rosh Hashanah they are a tzadik.
That's bulls%*t I want to scream.
Like Job's comforters
It's what we say to comfort someone
After hearing unetaneh tokef.
Who shall live and who shall die.
But tefilah, teshuva and tzedakah
Will lessen the decree.
We need that comfort.today.
I need that comfort.
The world lost a tzedeket last night.
A righteous person.
But tzedek means justice.
Justice, justice shall you pursue.
Did you know,
She wanted to be a rabbi.
Because a rabbi pursues justice.
She played a rabbi at summer camp.
She led the services.
But women were not yet rabbis.
So she became a lawyer.
Then a judge
Then a Supreme Court justice.
She pursued justice her whole life.
For the widow, the orphan, the stranger.
For all created in the image of G-d.
When you hear the sound of the shofar
The shevarim call.
The broken call of weeping.
Cry. It's OK
Then listen some more.
Hear the t'ruah call
The steccato call for justice.
And then final shofar blast.
The long, steady tekiah gedola.
She fought so long and so hard.
She was a tekiah gedola
She was a tzedeket.
Today we honor her memory.
Tomorrow, and next week and the week after that.
We rise.
Just like Ruth
Baruch Dayan Ha'emet
Blessed is the Judge of Truth.
(1) צדק צדק תרדף Justice, justice shall you pursue — Seek out a good court.
(2) למען תחיה וירשת That you may thrive and occupy the land — The appointment of proper judges is sufficient to make Israel thrive and to establish them on their land.
How does Rashi (11th century France) understand Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof?
(1) Justice, justice — This is addressed to each of the contending parties. The repetition of "justice" implies that they should pursue a just result whether it brings them profit or loss, or perhaps that they should continue to pursue justice time after time, as long as they live. Or it may simply be for emphasis.
How does Ibn Ezra (12th century Spain) understand Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof?
Justice, justice... The great Mussar rabbis say that if one hastens to give tzedakah it is worth double, as if one gave tzedakah twice. Tzedek tzedek - it will be considered as two tzedakahs, if "you pursue" it, if you try to give it as soon as possible.
Hida (18th century Palestine & Western Europe, North Africa)
Justice, justice you shall pursue...With justice, you shall pursue justice. Even the pursuit of justice must employ only just means, and not falsehood.
R' Simhah Bunim of Pshischa (18th century Polan)
Justice, justice you shall pursue...Justice alone is not enough, because there are many types of justice, just as there are many kinds of truth. Every regime has its own justice. The Torah, therefore, stresses, "Justice justice you shall pursue," namely the musar (ethic) of justice, where both the means and the end are just.
Derashot El Ami (19th-20th century Poland & Palestine)
(10) Hear the word of the LORD, You chieftains of Sodom; Give ear to our God’s instruction, You folk of Gomorrah! (11) “What need have I of all your sacrifices?” Says the LORD. “I am sated with burnt offerings of rams, And suet of fatlings, And blood of bulls; And I have no delight In lambs and he-goats. (12) That you come to appear before Me— Who asked that of you? Trample My courts (13) no more; Bringing oblations is futile, Incense is offensive to Me. New moon and sabbath, Proclaiming of solemnities, Assemblies with iniquity, I cannot abide. (14) Your new moons and fixed seasons Fill Me with loathing; They are become a burden to Me, I cannot endure them. (15) And when you lift up your hands, I will turn My eyes away from you; Though you pray at length, I will not listen. Your hands are stained with crime— (16) Wash yourselves clean; Put your evil doings Away from My sight. Cease to do evil; (17) Learn to do good. Devote yourselves to justice; Aid the wronged. Uphold the rights of the orphan; Defend the cause of the widow....(19) If, then, you agree and give heed, You will eat the good things of the earth; (20) But if you refuse and disobey, You will be devoured [by] the sword.— For it was the LORD who spoke. (21) Alas, she has become a harlot, The faithful city That was filled with justice, Where righteousness dwelt— But now murderers. (22) Your silver has turned to dross; Your wine is cut with water. (23) Your rulers are rogues And cronies of thieves, Every one avid for presents And greedy for gifts; They do not judge the case of the orphan, And the widow’s cause never reaches them. (24) Assuredly, this is the declaration Of the Sovereign, the LORD of Hosts, The Mighty One of Israel: “Ah, I will get satisfaction from My foes; I will wreak vengeance on My enemies! (25) I will turn My hand against you, And smelt out your dross as with lye, And remove all your slag: (26) I will restore your magistrates as of old, And your counselors as of yore. After that you shall be called City of Righteousness, Faithful City.” (27) Zion shall be saved in the judgment; Her repentant ones, in the retribution.
מִי־יָג֣וּר בְּאָהֳלֶ֑ךָ מִֽי־יִ֝שְׁכֹּ֗ן בְּהַ֣ר קָדְשֶֽׁךָ׃ הוֹלֵ֣ךְ תָּ֭מִים וּפֹעֵ֥ל צֶ֑דֶק וְדֹבֵ֥ר אֱ֝מֶ֗ת בִּלְבָבֽוֹ׃
Who may sojourn in Your tent, who may dwell on Your holy mountain? Those who walk with integrity, who do what is right, and who acknowledge the truth in their hearts.
זִרְע֨וּ לָכֶ֤ם לִצְדָקָה֙ קִצְר֣וּ לְפִי־חֶ֔סֶד
Sow righteousness for yourselves; Reap the fruits of kindness.
וּמָֽה־ה' דּוֹרֵ֣שׁ מִמְּךָ֗ כִּ֣י אִם־עֲשׂ֤וֹת מִשְׁפָּט֙ וְאַ֣הֲבַת חֶ֔סֶד וְהַצְנֵ֥עַ לֶ֖כֶת עִם־אֱלֹקֶֽיךָ׃ (פ)
And what does God requires of you? Only to do justice, to love goodness, and to walk modestly with your God.
Jewish Judges
myjewishlearning.com
Ronald Eisenberg
According to Maimonides, Judges must be wise and understanding, learned in the law, and versed in many other branches of learning…such as medicine, mathematics, astronomy and astrology; and the ways of sorcerers and magicians and the superstitious practices of idolaters [so as to be competent to judge them];…[a judge must be] neither a very aged man nor a eunuch … or childless; … just as he must be free from all suspicion with respect to conduct, so must he be free from all physical defects, … a man of mature age, imposing stature, and good appearance, and able to express his views in clear and well-chosen words and be conversant with most of the spoken languages…[so there is no need] of the services of an interpreter.
The seven fundamental qualities of a judge are “wisdom, humility, fear of God, disdain of gain [money], love of truth, love of people, and a good reputation.” A judge must have “a good eye, a lowly [humble] spirit, must be friendly in intercourse [pleasant in company], and gentle in speech and dealings with others; he must be very strict with himself and control his passions; he must have a courageous heart to rescue the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor, cruelty, and persecution, and eschew wrong and injustice.”
Prayer for Lawyers
May justice unfold through my efforts and the law shine brightly. May I be a righteous advocate and faithful emissary. May I regard each assignment with dignity, no matter how great or small, and each matter with seriousness, whether it be for a pittance or a fortune. May I keep unjust gain from my deliberations, and may justice be a lamp unto my feet. May I have the wisdom to refute falsehood and the understanding to undo iniquity. O that my step be firm, my argument persuasive, and my opinions well-ordered, so that those I represent not be shamed, and those who trust in me rejoice. - A. Paldor
According to Bach (Ibid.) permission granted is not a blanket dispensation but is predicated on the assumption that these transgressors will repent. This is implied in the words: עַל דַעַת הַמָקוֹם, with the consent of Hashem.