Midrasch zu Mischlej 17:20

(Deut. 16:19, cont.:) YOU SHALL NOT TAKE A BRIBE. When the judge sets his heart on a bribe, he becomes blind to justice and he is unable to judge <a case> honestly.²⁹Tanh., Deut. 5:8. R. Eleazar said: It says here (in Ezek. 22:6): BEHOLD, THE PRINCES OF ISRAEL, EACH ONE ACCORDING TO HIS STRENGTH (literally: ARM), HAVE EXISTED AMONG YOU <FOR THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD>. Thus they stretched out³⁰Poshetim, which is intended as a pun on shofetim “judges”. Thus the verb implies that the judges are the ones who stretch out their arms for bribes. their arms under their robes to take a bribe. R. Abbahu said: Whoever takes the equivalent of a peruta (the smallest of coins) from his fellow is called wicked, as stated (in Prov. 17:23): [A WICKED ONE] TAKES A CONCEALED BRIBE.³¹Apart from the midrash, in the biblical context these words, which literally mean, A WICKED ONE TAKES A BRIBE FROM THE BOSOM, may well refer to the one who gives the bribe. R. Ishmael ben Elisha said: Come and see how harmful a bribe is. One time a certain person came and brought me the first fruits of the sheep shearing.³²See Deut. 18:4; also Ket. 105b. He also had a lawsuit before the judge, so I stood to one side. Now I said, <to myself>: If he pleads such and such before the judge, he will win the suit; for I was hoping for him to win. Even though he had only given me my due, and it was not a bribe, my heart was drawn to him every time I saw him. Furthermore, although had gone to the court, I asked about him whether he had won or not. <This incident serves> to make known to you how harmful a bribe is, since it makes the eyes blind. Now here is an argument a fortiori. If I, to whom he had <only> brought what was due and who <only> got what was due me, was hoping for him to win, how much the more so with one who gets a bribe.