Tafsiran yang Mengutip untuk Amsal 27:17

There is another warning regarding being deliberate, not to hastily decide a case due to the acceptance of any bribe, for regarding the term “shochad” [bribe], our Sages of blessed memory said (Ketubot 105b) that it is derived from the phrase “she-hu chad” [that he is one], meaning that the giver and the receiver become one like a single person. However, this explanation is not entirely satisfactory because the word “shochad” refers to the thing that is taken, not to the person who takes it. Therefore, it seems to me that “she-hu chad” means sharpness, from the expression iron sharpens [yachad] iron (Proverbs 27:17), because every finalization of a judgment is referred to by the Sages as “cutting the judgment.” One who is deliberate in judgment and does not cut it hastily resembles someone cutting with a knife that is not very sharp, which does not cut quickly. But when a judge receives something, his knife immediately becomes sharpened and he cuts the judgment hastily, no longer needing to be deliberate in judgment to clarify the truth, since his mind has already decided to justify the one who gave him [the bribe]. Therefore, the money is called “shochad” [bribe] because “she-hu chad” [it is sharp], as the money is sharp and cuts the judgment quickly. And if you prefer to apply the term “chad” [sharp] to the judge, then its meaning is that once the judge receives [a bribe] from one party, the judge immediately becomes sharp and clever, knowing at once which way the judgment leans, and such a case no longer requires delay or deliberation.

And regarding the term “shochad” [bribe], our Sages of blessed memory said (Ketubot 105b) that it means “she-hu chad” [that he is one], as the receiver and the giver become one person, and subsequently one does not see fault in oneself. This explanation is not clear, because “shochad” is the word for the money, not the word for the owners. Why should the money be named after them just because it causes the owners to become united?
It seems to me that “she-hu chad” means “sharpness,” from the phrase iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). For money is like a sharp knife that cuts quickly, and every judge needs to be deliberate so as not to render judgment hastily. When he accepts a bribe, he immediately knows which way the judgment leans and cuts it quickly as if cutting with a sharp knife. It is not the judge who cuts the judgment, but the money cuts, and it is sharp.
And since he hinted here that a judge needs to be deliberate in judgment, which might lead to delaying the judgment more than appropriate, therefore it says, Justice, justice shall you pursue. This is because the prophet accuses Israel, saying, Righteousness lodged in it (Isaiah 1:21), as we explained above in Parashat Devarim (1:18), that in capital cases, they conclude on the same day for acquittal but not for conviction. But they reversed the approach and would let the righteousness, namely the acquittal, remain overnight. Regarding this, it says here that justice shall you pursue, because the term “pursuit” indicates swiftness — that one should hasten to render judgment when innocence [that is, justice] has been established. And the repetition of justice — one is literal and one is to exclude guilt, which must be delayed overnight.

ותחזק מצרים על העם, “Egypt imposed itself strongly on the people, etc.” After they had been struck by ten plagues they were forced to dismiss them against their will. Not only that, but the Israelites also took all the Egyptians’ money. This is the meaning of verse 36: “they emptied out Egypt.” This has been confirmed by Midrash Mishley (27,2). When Solomon speaks (Proverbs 27,17) about “as iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the wit of his friend,” the words “iron sharpens iron” refer to Moses the righteous and Pharaoh the wicked respectively. They were opposing each other with words. When Moses entered Pharaoh’s palace, Pharaoh asked him: “who has sent you?” Moses answered: “the G’d of the Hebrews has sent me to you.” Pharaoh countered: “what did he tell you to say?” Moses: “let go of My people so that they will serve Me.” Pharaoh: “Is there then a deity in the world whom I did not know? By all that’s holy, all the deities in the world have sent me letters but your God has not sent me any letter at all.” Seeing that he did not find the name of the G’d of the Hebrews recorded anywhere, he continued: “did I not tell you that I do not know of such a god?” He then sent for his wise men and asked them if they had ever heard the name of a god of the Hebrews. His sages answered that they had indeed heard that once there was a such a god descended from primeval wise kings as referred to in Isaiah 19,11: “utter fools are the nobles of Tzoan, the sages of Pharaoh have made absurd predictions.” Thereupon Pharaoh said to his wise men: “you are the fools. You call yourselves wise and me the son of the wise! I will dispose of your so-called wisdom.” Pharaoh based himself on Isaiah 29,14 “and the wisdom of its wise men shall fail.” Moses countered: “you claim that you do not know the god of the Hebrews. In the end you will get to know Him. You said that you will not dismiss the Israelites. In the end you will most certainly dismiss them against your will instead of willingly.” Let me illustrate what happened by means of a parable. The present situation is comparable to a king who had said to his servant; “go and bring me a certain fish from the market.” The servant went and brought back a smelly fish. Thereupon the king decreed a choice of either of three penalties on this negligent servant. 1) He suggested that the servant himself eat that fish. 2) If he did not like this he could be whipped with a hundred lashes. 3) As a third alternative he was willing to accept 100 silver pieces as payment of a financial fine. The servant started to eat the fish. Before he had finished eating it (forcing himself) he said that he would rather submit to 100 lashes of the whip. By the time he had absorbed 50 lashes he volunteered to pay the fine instead of being whipped some more. This is precisely what G’d did to the Egyptians. They absorbed the plagues, then they did let the Israelites go, and on top of it all they paid the financial penalty when the Israelites took their money. What caused them to suffer all these degradations? Their obstinacy in refusing to acknowledge the existence of G’d. Pharaoh’s obstinacy was countered by Moses’ obstinacy. This is what Solomon had in mind when he spoke of iron sharpening iron.