עַד־מָתַ֥י תִּשְׁפְּטוּ־עָ֑וֶל וּפְנֵ֥י רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים תִּשְׂאוּ־סֶֽלָה׃
«Как долго вы будете судить несправедливо и уважать людей нечестивых? Села
Kli Yakar
These three things in their image and likeness, the psalmist Asaph collected them in Psalm 75, To the chief Musician, Al-taschith [Do not destroy], A Psalm Asaph, a Song. For the corruption of justice causes the destruction of the world, as the world stands on justice, and the destruction of the generation of the flood proves this. The psalmist wanted to mention the establishment of justice, therefore he said Al-taschith [Do not destroy] and said We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks. The judges who are called “elohim” [gods/judges] will thank You for two matters. One is, Your name is near. For You stand in the divine assembly; in the midst of judges, God judges. The second, They tell of Your wondrous works. This is a language of concealment and wonder, referring to how You concealed the laws from all nations and tongues, and judgments they have not known. For the idolaters, in their arrogance, do not judge with patience, but I, when I select the appointed time, I will judge uprightly. Therefore, he added the word I to exclude idolaters and common people. The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved. For whoever corrupts justice causes corruption to the foundation of the world, as stated in Psalm (82:2-5), How long will you judge unjustly… All the foundations of the earth are unstable. Therefore, it says here, I have set up its pillars firmly.
And afterward, he mentioned “al” [do not] three times: I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast’ — that’s one; And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn’ — that’s two; Do not lift up your horn on high — that’s three. And corresponding to them, he said “ki” [for/because] three times: For not from the east or from the west — that’s one; For God is the judge — that’s two; For there is a cup in the hand of the Lord — that’s three.
And regarding what our Sages said, “One who is arrogant in issuing rulings is a fool, wicked, and haughty,” it says here, I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ meaning, do not be a fool who relies on his own wisdom and does not want to judge with patience. For no person is secure that perhaps there is a mixture of dregs in his intellect, for “to the boastful [lehollelim]” is a term of mixture, from the expression I said of laughter, it is mixed [mehollal], meaning mixed with sorrow. And here it refers to one who is mixed with foolishness; therefore, he needs to let it ferment so that he does not drink his wine with its dregs.
And regarding what they said that a wicked person should not judge alone, likening himself to the Most High, it says here, And to the wicked, “Do not lift up the horn.” It mentions only one horn because it speaks of the wicked person who, in his arrogance, does not seek out his colleagues to take counsel in judgment but wants to rely entirely on himself. We can also say that the term and to the wicked does not refer to the judges but to the litigants standing before you like wicked people, and regarding them, Do not lift up one horn, for perhaps one judge cannot handle powerful litigants, and two are better than one.
And regarding what they said that one who is arrogant in issuing rulings will eventually become haughty and will burst forth against all sound wisdom, it says here, Do not lift up your horn on high, for it is the nature of wind/spirit to rise upward, therefore it says regarding the haughty, Do not lift up on high.
And afterward, he mentioned “al” [do not] three times: I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast’ — that’s one; And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn’ — that’s two; Do not lift up your horn on high — that’s three. And corresponding to them, he said “ki” [for/because] three times: For not from the east or from the west — that’s one; For God is the judge — that’s two; For there is a cup in the hand of the Lord — that’s three.
And regarding what our Sages said, “One who is arrogant in issuing rulings is a fool, wicked, and haughty,” it says here, I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ meaning, do not be a fool who relies on his own wisdom and does not want to judge with patience. For no person is secure that perhaps there is a mixture of dregs in his intellect, for “to the boastful [lehollelim]” is a term of mixture, from the expression I said of laughter, it is mixed [mehollal], meaning mixed with sorrow. And here it refers to one who is mixed with foolishness; therefore, he needs to let it ferment so that he does not drink his wine with its dregs.
And regarding what they said that a wicked person should not judge alone, likening himself to the Most High, it says here, And to the wicked, “Do not lift up the horn.” It mentions only one horn because it speaks of the wicked person who, in his arrogance, does not seek out his colleagues to take counsel in judgment but wants to rely entirely on himself. We can also say that the term and to the wicked does not refer to the judges but to the litigants standing before you like wicked people, and regarding them, Do not lift up one horn, for perhaps one judge cannot handle powerful litigants, and two are better than one.
And regarding what they said that one who is arrogant in issuing rulings will eventually become haughty and will burst forth against all sound wisdom, it says here, Do not lift up your horn on high, for it is the nature of wind/spirit to rise upward, therefore it says regarding the haughty, Do not lift up on high.
Kli Yakar
These three things in their image and likeness, the psalmist Asaph collected them in Psalm 75, To the chief Musician, Al-taschith [Do not destroy], A Psalm Asaph, a Song. For the corruption of justice causes the destruction of the world, as the world stands on justice, and the destruction of the generation of the flood proves this. The psalmist wanted to mention the establishment of justice, therefore he said Al-taschith [Do not destroy] and said We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks. The judges who are called “elohim” [gods/judges] will thank You for two matters. One is, Your name is near. For You stand in the divine assembly; in the midst of judges, God judges. The second, They tell of Your wondrous works. This is a language of concealment and wonder, referring to how You concealed the laws from all nations and tongues, and judgments they have not known. For the idolaters, in their arrogance, do not judge with patience, but I, when I select the appointed time, I will judge uprightly. Therefore, he added the word I to exclude idolaters and common people. The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved. For whoever corrupts justice causes corruption to the foundation of the world, as stated in Psalm (82:2-5), How long will you judge unjustly… All the foundations of the earth are unstable. Therefore, it says here, I have set up its pillars firmly.
And afterward, he mentioned “al” [do not] three times: I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast’ — that’s one; And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn’ — that’s two; Do not lift up your horn on high — that’s three. And corresponding to them, he said “ki” [for/because] three times: For not from the east or from the west — that’s one; For God is the judge — that’s two; For there is a cup in the hand of the Lord — that’s three.
And regarding what our Sages said, “One who is arrogant in issuing rulings is a fool, wicked, and haughty,” it says here, I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ meaning, do not be a fool who relies on his own wisdom and does not want to judge with patience. For no person is secure that perhaps there is a mixture of dregs in his intellect, for “to the boastful [lehollelim]” is a term of mixture, from the expression I said of laughter, it is mixed [mehollal], meaning mixed with sorrow. And here it refers to one who is mixed with foolishness; therefore, he needs to let it ferment so that he does not drink his wine with its dregs.
And regarding what they said that a wicked person should not judge alone, likening himself to the Most High, it says here, And to the wicked, “Do not lift up the horn.” It mentions only one horn because it speaks of the wicked person who, in his arrogance, does not seek out his colleagues to take counsel in judgment but wants to rely entirely on himself. We can also say that the term and to the wicked does not refer to the judges but to the litigants standing before you like wicked people, and regarding them, Do not lift up one horn, for perhaps one judge cannot handle powerful litigants, and two are better than one.
And regarding what they said that one who is arrogant in issuing rulings will eventually become haughty and will burst forth against all sound wisdom, it says here, Do not lift up your horn on high, for it is the nature of wind/spirit to rise upward, therefore it says regarding the haughty, Do not lift up on high.
And afterward, he mentioned “al” [do not] three times: I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast’ — that’s one; And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn’ — that’s two; Do not lift up your horn on high — that’s three. And corresponding to them, he said “ki” [for/because] three times: For not from the east or from the west — that’s one; For God is the judge — that’s two; For there is a cup in the hand of the Lord — that’s three.
And regarding what our Sages said, “One who is arrogant in issuing rulings is a fool, wicked, and haughty,” it says here, I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ meaning, do not be a fool who relies on his own wisdom and does not want to judge with patience. For no person is secure that perhaps there is a mixture of dregs in his intellect, for “to the boastful [lehollelim]” is a term of mixture, from the expression I said of laughter, it is mixed [mehollal], meaning mixed with sorrow. And here it refers to one who is mixed with foolishness; therefore, he needs to let it ferment so that he does not drink his wine with its dregs.
And regarding what they said that a wicked person should not judge alone, likening himself to the Most High, it says here, And to the wicked, “Do not lift up the horn.” It mentions only one horn because it speaks of the wicked person who, in his arrogance, does not seek out his colleagues to take counsel in judgment but wants to rely entirely on himself. We can also say that the term and to the wicked does not refer to the judges but to the litigants standing before you like wicked people, and regarding them, Do not lift up one horn, for perhaps one judge cannot handle powerful litigants, and two are better than one.
And regarding what they said that one who is arrogant in issuing rulings will eventually become haughty and will burst forth against all sound wisdom, it says here, Do not lift up your horn on high, for it is the nature of wind/spirit to rise upward, therefore it says regarding the haughty, Do not lift up on high.
Ramban
AND THE ETERNAL SAID UNTO MOSES: GATHER UNTO ME SEVENTY MEN OF THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL. Our Rabbis have already mentioned that there are seventy nations190Bereshith Rabbah 66:8. with seventy languages,191Sanhedrin 17 a. each one having a constellation in the heavens with a prince above it, as it is said in the Book of Daniel, and the prince of the kingdom of Persia,192Daniel 10:13. See Ramban in Leviticus 18:25, and also Vol. I, pp. 349-350. and it is [further] written with reference to the kings of Greece, lo, the prince of Greece shall come;193Daniel 10:20. and it is about this that Scripture states, And the Eternal will punish the host of the high heaven on high.194Isaiah 24:21. The Rabbis have also said195Succah 58 b. that the [seventy] bullocks [brought as offerings on the seven days] of the Festival of Tabernacles allude to them. [A similar reference to the seventy princes we find, in connection with the Tower of Babel] in the Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer:196Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer. Chapter 24. “Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to the seventy kings that surround the throne of His Glory: ‘Let us come and confound their language.’”197Genesis 11:7. It was for this reason that the number of those who went down to Egypt was seventy,198Ibid., 46:27. and that He commanded that there should be this number of judges in Israel [as is stated in the verse before us], for this number includes all opinions [that are possible in a given case] since it comprises all powers, and there will not be anything too hard for them.199Deuteronomy 17:8-9: If there arise a matter ‘too hard for thee’ in judgment … then shalt thou arise etc. — and go to the judges of the Great Sanhedrin and they will answer you. The point is thus clear: there will not be anything “too hard” for them. Similarly at the Giving of the Torah [special prominence was given to] seventy elders of Israel,200Exodus 24:1. and it is fitting that the Glory of the Divine Presence should rest upon [a group of] this perfect number, since it is [comparable to] the camp on high, for Israel are the hosts of the Eternal201Ibid., 12:41. See also Vol. I, p. 393. on earth, just as the ark and its cover and the Tabernacle were all made in the likeness of those that minister [before Him] on high. So also were the [four] standards made in the image of the Divine Chariot which Ezekiel saw,202Ezekiel, Chapter I. in order that the Divine Presence should rest upon them on earth as it is present in the heavens.
Now Moses was above the seventy elders [in authority], thus alluding to Israel, a nation one in the earth.203II Samuel 7:23. And our Rabbis have received by tradition that every Sanhedrin (Great Court) that sits in G-d’s House in the place which He shall choose on which to rest His Presence, should consist of this number, seventy, with the head [of the Court] above them [in authority] like Moses our teacher, and thus they comprise [a Court] a seventy-one [judges, and with the Divine Presence in their midst they are seventy-two]. Similarly the letters in the Great Ineffable Divine Name are seventy-two, corresponding to the seventy princes [of the seventy nations, together with Israel, making seventy-one nations],204Abusaula, and so also in Beiur Ha’lvush to Ricanti. and the One G-d who is the sole Master over all. It is to this that Scripture hints in saying, G-d standeth in the congregation of G-d; in the midst of the judges He judgeth,205Psalms 82:1. for the Divine Presence is with them to assent to their judgment. And Scripture further states, How long will ye judge unjustly?,206Ibid., Verse 2. thus admonishing [and saying] that since the Glorious Name207Deuteronomy 28:58. is with them in giving judgment,208II Chronicles 19:6. how can you not be fearful of Him when you pervert justice, as in the expression, the people that provoke Me to My face continually.209Isaiah 65:3. And it states furthermore [in that psalm], “I said: Ye are godlike beings, and all of you sons of the Most High,210Psalms 82:6. for your number is the same as the number of the princes above and the One Master, and so I said that you will sit in the seat of G-d211Ezekiel 28:2. on earth. But ‘k’adam’ ye shall die212Psalms 82:7. — like the first man [Adam] who was driven from his glorious place [in the Garden of Eden] and died, so will you [who judge unjustly] be driven out of the House of G-d and die. And like one of the princes212Psalms 82:7. on high you were, but you fell from that high position.” I have already mentioned something of this matter in Seder V’eileh Hamishpatim.213And these are the ordinances — Exodus 21:1. The verse referred to is ibid., 6.
Now Moses was above the seventy elders [in authority], thus alluding to Israel, a nation one in the earth.203II Samuel 7:23. And our Rabbis have received by tradition that every Sanhedrin (Great Court) that sits in G-d’s House in the place which He shall choose on which to rest His Presence, should consist of this number, seventy, with the head [of the Court] above them [in authority] like Moses our teacher, and thus they comprise [a Court] a seventy-one [judges, and with the Divine Presence in their midst they are seventy-two]. Similarly the letters in the Great Ineffable Divine Name are seventy-two, corresponding to the seventy princes [of the seventy nations, together with Israel, making seventy-one nations],204Abusaula, and so also in Beiur Ha’lvush to Ricanti. and the One G-d who is the sole Master over all. It is to this that Scripture hints in saying, G-d standeth in the congregation of G-d; in the midst of the judges He judgeth,205Psalms 82:1. for the Divine Presence is with them to assent to their judgment. And Scripture further states, How long will ye judge unjustly?,206Ibid., Verse 2. thus admonishing [and saying] that since the Glorious Name207Deuteronomy 28:58. is with them in giving judgment,208II Chronicles 19:6. how can you not be fearful of Him when you pervert justice, as in the expression, the people that provoke Me to My face continually.209Isaiah 65:3. And it states furthermore [in that psalm], “I said: Ye are godlike beings, and all of you sons of the Most High,210Psalms 82:6. for your number is the same as the number of the princes above and the One Master, and so I said that you will sit in the seat of G-d211Ezekiel 28:2. on earth. But ‘k’adam’ ye shall die212Psalms 82:7. — like the first man [Adam] who was driven from his glorious place [in the Garden of Eden] and died, so will you [who judge unjustly] be driven out of the House of G-d and die. And like one of the princes212Psalms 82:7. on high you were, but you fell from that high position.” I have already mentioned something of this matter in Seder V’eileh Hamishpatim.213And these are the ordinances — Exodus 21:1. The verse referred to is ibid., 6.