Torah Temimah Selections
POSITIVE MITZVAH TO JUDGE
דברים פרק א טז וּשְׁפַטְתֶּם צֶדֶק
מכאן דמצוה עשה לדיינים שישפטו (רש"י כתובות ק"ו א')
T.T. The practical difference exists where an expert judge errs in a judgment. The judge would be exempt from payment of damages for the error, since the Torah commands him to judge. The Shach learns this concept from the verse שופטים ושוטרים תתן לך. However, that verse places a mitzvah on the community to appoint judges. But the main derivation is that a mitzvah applies to the judges themselves is from the verse above. (Look at T.T. in פרשת שופטים as to why the judges do not make a blessing on this mitzvah like on other positive Mitzvos.)
JUDGING RIGHTEOUSLY
דברים פרק א טז בֵּין-אִישׁ וּבֵין-אָחִיו וּבֵין גֵּרוֹ
אמר רב יהודה, "בין איש ובין אחיו" אפילו בין בית לעליה, "ובין גרו" אפילו בין תנור לכירים (סנהדרין ז' ב')
Many attempt to explain this d’rasha.
T.T. Even when a case comes to a judge between people that appear to be “small” (that really makes very little difference in the world if the house goes to this person, or the attic goes to that person) then the judge might think it is not important to judge carefully. Rather, in all cases a judge must look into the matter deeply and carefully according to the laws of Torah and bring forth a righteous judgment.
Thus, the end of the d’rasha applies even when a גר לביתו, one’s neighbor, sets aside an oven for someone else’s use.
INHERITANCE BY A NON-JEW
דברים פרק ב ט כִּי לִבְנֵי-לוֹט נָתַתִּי אֶת-עָר יְרֻשָּׁה:
אמר ר' חייא בר אבא אמר ר' יונתן, נכרי יורש את אביו דבר תורה (קדושין י"ח א')
T.T. Clearly from here the laws of inheritance include non-Jews. The practical difference would be in cases of the non-Jew being required to pay the debts of his deceased father or to pay for the claimed deposited items of others against his deceased father.
Rambam explains that inheritance only comes from the father, but to other relatives of a non-Jew one goes according to the local customs.
T.T. The laws of inheritance in the Torah are preceded by אל בני ישראל תדבר and thus, the inheritance by other relatives only applies to the Jewish people.
