Our perasha begins with the Torah’s instruction to “establish judges and bailiffs” in each town (Debarim 16:18). Rashi explains from the Gemara (Sanhedrin 16b) that the judges would pronounce sentences while the bailiffs would be responsible to chastise and carry out said punishments.
The aforementioned pasuk specifically states that “they” meaning the judges and bailiffs would govern the people with due justice. The surrounding pesukim go into detail about some concepts of justice. For example, the instruction not to judge unfairly or take bribes (Debarim 16:19), and to pursue justice in its purest form (Debarim 16:20).
It would appear that these instructions are directed at the judges themselves. After all, the Torah just commanded us to establish these judges (and bailiffs). So it would make sense that the Torah would give us some “how to” for the judges to follow.
However if we take a closer look at the pasuk, the “they” that was introduced earlier in the first pasuk, now switches to a “you,” so the pesukim now state, “you shall not judge” and “you shall pursue justice.” Who is the pasuk speaking to?
We’ve seen elsewhere in the Torah that it can switch from plural to singular forms to teach us valuable lessons such as when the Ten Commandments were given. The Torah originally records “you” in plural form but then switches to singular “you” when each commandment is given to teach us that while the Torah was given to the Jewish Nation, each commandment was given to each individual person (Shemot 19:4, 20:2-14).
What is the lesson here in Shofetim? Why does the Torah switch to a singular “you” from “they?”
The Ohr HaHayim (Debarim 16:19) explains that while the judges must certainly pursue justice with integrity, these instructions are not directed at the judges alone. The warning against perverting judgements is phrased in the singular to teach that the entirety of the Jewish Nation is included in this commandment.
In other words, even we, ordinary people, must not allow bribery, money, politics, prestige or other special privileges to influence our everyday dealings. We must be fair and honest in our business dealings and daily transactions. We must charge honestly, pay what we owe, give accurate information, and not give special treatment simply because someone can benefit us. Before making a decision, we should ask ourselves, would I act the same way if I had nothing to gain? The Torah warns that a bribe can subtly blind even a wise person. We must therefore constantly examine whether self-interest is affecting our judgment.
As the month of Elul is immediately upon us, we pray that G-d deals with us with mercy and compassion. As we have said time and time again, the more we emulate G-d’s ways, the more He deals with us in kind. Would you want G-d to knock off a few misvot from your ledger for the year? Certainly not. So let us make sure our own books are clean. Be fair and honest, even if it’s just a few cents. G-d will in turn be merciful and bless us with a wonderful and prosperous new year.