Supreme Court
Supreme CourtDavid Vaaknin/POOL/Flash 90

Judges to clarify the law (and try cases) and agents of the court to enforce the law are to be appointed throughout the Land, and they are to carry out their duties fairly. They must not slant the law, nor show favoritism, nor take bribes which blind and pervert even the fairest and most righteous of people. Justice is to be ardently pursued so that we will be worthy of living and flourishing in Eretz Yisrael.

What if a judge was going to vote in favor of the briber, even without the bribe? Justice is still being served. Is the bribe any less a serious offense? The answer is NO. A bribe is a bribe. One leads to another, and justice will be perverted.

Justice you shall surely pursue. The doubling of the word TZEDEK is usually considered a form of emphasis. But here, one commentator suggests that it can be seen as a reminder that not only shall justice be pursued, but the means employed in the pursuit of justice shall also be just. We should not subscribe to the concept that the end justifies the means. Perpetrating a mockery of justice and claiming that it is justice, is the greatest offense of all.

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