I am very excited for the opportunity to share words of Torah with you. Each week, in this spot, I look to share an idea I've found that speaks to me and that I think will resonate with you as well. This week, I share an excerpt from an article by Rabbi Abba Wagensberg entitled ‘Emotional Alignment’, which speaks to appreciating both the positive and challenging situations we face in life.
[...] The Talmud (Ketuvot 105a) wonders what new idea we learn from the verse, "Do not take a bribe." If the phrase is trying to teach us not to acquit the guilty and accuse the innocent, this idea is stated explicitly elsewhere, "You shall not pervert judgment" (Deut. 16:19). Rather, the Talmud explains that a judge must not take a bribe even if it is in order to acquit the innocent and accuse the guilty. Accepting a bribe is wrong even if the verdict issued is ultimately correct!
This raises a problem. [I]t seemed that shochad led to the corruption of justice, which distanced the dishonest judge from God. Now it seems that shochad applies even if the judge issues a true verdict. How [...]? Ultimately, he did what was right!
In order to resolve this difficulty, we must return to the Talmudic statement we mentioned initially: "Any judge who issues a true verdict (emet l'amito) is considered to be a partner with God in Creation." The commentator Divrei Chanoch wonders why the double expression emet l'amito (literally, "truthful truth") is used here, when the single word emet (truth) would seem to suffice. Once absolute truth has been reached, what could possibly make it truer?
The Divrei Chanoch explains, based on the Beit Yosef (Choshen Mishpat 1:2), that even if the final ruling is true, a judge who accepts a bribe will still favor one party more than the other. This is a corruption, since the judge loves the party that gave him the bribe and hates the party that didn't. Although the ruling itself may be emet, the judge's emotions have been altered, so the verdict cannot be emet l'amito. "Truthful truth" refers to the internal world as well, not merely an externally correct judgment.
[...] According to the commentator Torat Avot, there are two levels of truth. The first level is intellectual, based on knowledge and reasoning. The second, higher level is emotional, drawn from the wisdom of the heart. This does not in any way dismiss the value of intellectual knowledge. However, it is crucial for the Torah learning that we acquire intellectually, to permeate our hearts emotionally. Torah study often changes the way we think - but we must be sure that it also changes the way we feel. [...]
Have a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Davies
Rabbi@SOICherryHill.org
