This pasuk also contains a hint of the importance of judging others favorably.
The Ohr Hachaim notes that in the words "roshei hamatos l'bnei Yisroel", there seems to be an extra "lamed", as it could have said "roshei matos bnei Yisroel." The Imrei Menachem of Alexander zy"a answers this question as follows:
The Zohar Hakadosh (Chelek 1, 244B) writes that it is pleasant for Hashem when someone speaks well about His children. Where do we know this from? From Gideon, the son of Yoash, who was not a tzadik or the son of a tzadik, but since he spoke positively about Klal Yisroel, it says about him: 'And Hashem turned toward him and said: Go, with this your strength, and save Yisroel from the hand of Midyan.' What is this strength? It means the reward for the good that he said about Hashem's children was that he was given the strength to save them from Midyan."
Gideon, the son of Yoash, had told an angel of Hashem (ibid:13): "Please my lord, if Hashem will be with us, why then has all this befallen us? And where are all His wonders which our forefathers told us, saying, 'Did not Hashem bring us up from Egypt?' But now Hashem has forsaken us, and He has delivered us into the hand of Midyan."
Rashi explains: "It was Pesach, so he said, "Last night my father recited the Hallel and I heard him say, 'When Yisroel departed from Egypt, etc.,' (thus recounting the miracles Hashem performed on behalf of Klal Yisroel), but now He has forsaken us. If our forefathers were righteous, let Him perform (wonders) for us in their merit, and if they were wicked, then just as He did for them undeserving wonders, so should He do for us. Where then are all His wonders?"
Hashem then told him to take this strength he received for speaking in defense of Klal Yisroel and to use to win the battle with Midyan.
The Zohar Chadash further states (29A): "Rav Eliezer said that even if a person is the greatest tzadik in the world, if he speaks badly about Jewish people to Hashem, he will receive the worst punishment. Eliyahu Hanavi was the biggest tzadik in his generation, but he spoke badly about Klal Yisroel. He said (1 Malachim 19:14) that they had abandoned Hashem's covenant, destroyed His Mizbeachs and killed His prophets. This was viewed very badly by Hashem. It says (ibid:6) that 'he looked and there was a cake by his head baked with hot coals.' Hashem was saying that anyone who speaks negatively about Klal Yisroel deserves to be consumed like this (burned by hot coals)."
Accordingly, the pasuk is saying that Moshe Rabenu spoke to the heads of the nation who were "hamatos l'bnei Yisroel", which can be translated to mean that they bent (matim) the truth to always speak positively about Klal Yisroel. He told them that "this is the thing that Hashem commanded", meaning that this way of judging the nation favorably is what Hashem desires.
The Imrei Menachem adds that the esoteric middah of "Tiferes" is called "Matah Klapei Chesed" (Sefer Hapardes, written by the Ramak, Shaar 23, Perek 13). Additionally, Tiferes is also the bechina of Yisroel (see Zohar Hakadosh, Chelek, 150B). This indicates that one who bends the truth to judge Jewish people favorably is following the correct path.
