לֹא תַכִּירוּ פָנִים בַּמִּשּׁפָּט כַּקָּטֹן כַּגָּדֹל תִּשּԐמָעוּן לֹא תָגוּרוּ מִּפְּנֵה אִישׁ כִּי הַמִּשּׁפָּט לֵאלֹהִים הוּא גו' וְהַדָּבָע אֲשֶׁר יִקְשֶׁה מִכֶּם תַּקְרִבוּן אֵלַי וּשְׁמַעתִּיו:
"You shall not recognize faces in judgment; you shall hear the small as the great; you shall not be afraid of any man, for judgment is Hashem's; and the matter that is too hard for you, bring it to me, and I will hear it." (1:17) One can interpret this verse to mean that Moshe Rabbeinu is giving us guidance on how to conduct ourselves: no matter how bad or narrow a situation appears, one must still pray, and the Almighty will help.
This mirrors what the Gemara brings down (Berachos 10a) regarding King Chizkiyahu who was in a dispute with Yeshayahu Hanavi. What did Hashem do to effect compromise between Chizkiyahu and Yeshayahu? He brought the suffering of illness upon Chizkiyahu and Hashem told Yeshayahu: Go and visit the sick. Yeshayahu Hanavi came to visit him, and told him that a decree had already been issued that he would die. Even so, Chizkiyahu said: "I have a tradition received from my ancestors: אֲפִהלוּ בֶּרֶב חַדָּה מֻנַּחַת עַל צַוָּארוּ שֶׁל אָדָם, אַל יִמְנַע עַצְמוּ מִן הָרַחֲמִים. Even if a sharp sword is resting upon a person’s neck, he should not prevent himself from praying for mercy, as it is stated in the words of Iyov: “Though He slay me, I will trust in Him” (Iyov 13:15). Even though Hashem is about to take his life, he still prays for Hashem’s mercy. Therefore, a person must always pray. Chizkiyahu prayed to Hashem, and lived for another fifteen years.
This is hinted at in the text of the verse. Moshe said: לֹא תַכִּירוּ פָנִים "You shall not recognize faces": Do not look at the face (the physical reality) of the sick person. בַּמִּשּׁפָּט "In judgment": Even if severe judgments are hanging over him, pray anyway. כַּקָּטֹן כַּגָּדֹל "As the small... as the great": This applies to every person—whether it is a minor problem or a massive, major problem. תִּשּԐמָעוּן "You shall let hear": Pour your heart out in prayer, and the Almighty will hear you. לֹא תָגוּרוּ מִּפְּנֵה אִישׁ "You shall not be afraid of any man": Do not look at human limitations. כִּי הַמִּשּׁפָּט לֵאלֹהִים הוּא "For judgment is Hashem's": Because the decrees come from the Almighty (and He can change them). וְהַדָּבָע אֲשֶׁר יִקְשֶׁה מִכֶּם "And the matter that is too hard for you": Even if a situation seems impossibly difficult to you, nevertheless... תַּקְרִבוּן אֵלַי וּשְׁמַעתִּיו "Bring it to me, and I will hear it": Bring it close to Me through prayer, and I will hear you and answer your prayers. (Sefer Mishnah L'Melech by the heilige Rabbi Elazar Weisblum, the Reischer Rov, son of the holy Rabbi Elimelech of Rudnik)
