Clarity in Judgement

19: You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show favoritism, and you shall not take a bribe, for bribery blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts just words.

At first glance, this passuk seems to state the obvious: don’t pervert justice, don’t show favoritism, and don’t take bribes. It’s the basic framework for every legal system that I know of throughout the world today. But if this is too obvious, why does the Torah, a living and breathing document that does have any extra words, feel the need to spell this out? It may be because, that as straightforward as these rules may seem, we, as the compassionate nation, may find a reason to justify our own “cheshbonot”, bending the rules to suit our personal idea of what the outcome should be.

The Torah, though, leaves zero room for personal interpretation. The Torah is telling us that justice isn’t flexible, and personal feelings or ideas about what is fair, have no place. Justice is as “simple” as doing what the halacha says one must do.

This is a unique concept, especially in today’s world where everyone’s has their own version of what’s fair or right, as we live in an era where personal judgment is often put on a pedestal, and defining the gray areas in the law dominates discussions. Additionally, “Making a statement” or “there is a new sheriff in town” seems to win political points, but the Torah says no to all of this. One does not get to be a “lenient judge” or a “harsh judge” on a TV show or anywhere else. One is just a judge, upholding the rule of law and never letting personal views interfere.

This doesn’t contradict what we discussed last week, where I spoke about how the Torah is our guide through the gray areas of life. Justice however is different in that it isn’t gray. It’s black and white. There is right and there is wrong, and as someone making decisions affecting others, even more so.

Justice is impartial and won’t be swayed by personal connections, societal pressures or bribes, which the Torah warns can blind even the wisest amongst us. Think about this for a second; the Torah acknowledges that even a wise person can be heavily influenced if they allow outside factors to get in. How much more so even us “regular” people.

Every day, we are presented with decisions, big and small that impact others. We must keep our personal feelings in check and look at each situation through the lens of truth. It’s not always easy, but it’s what the Torah demands of us. May we all have the clarity to make decisions not based on our own cheshbonot, but through the clear standards that the Torah provides us.

Shabbat Shalom!