In this week's Parsha the Torah forbids Jewish Judges to receive bribery. Bribery causes the Judges to be unable to make a correct decision.
Rabbi Chavita Sofer, Rabbi of Jerba, Tunisia, told over the following story.
Rabbi Sofer's son had a dispute with a local Arab and asked him (his father) to represent him in court.
Rabbi Sofer put forward his claim and it was very obvious that his son was in the right.
The Judge said that the ruling will be postponed by two weeks. Two weeks later Rabbi Sofer came to hear the court ruling. "Please refresh my memory," said the Judge. The Rabbi repeated his story and proved his son's claim was correct, the Arab owed his son the money.
The Judge looked at his watch and said, "the hearing has gone over the allocated time, therefore the ruling will be given in two weeks."
Rabbi Sofer was surprised. Why was the Judge pushing him off all the time? He turned to one of his wealthy community members for advice.
The man explained to the Rabbi that he had put the Judge in an awkward situation. On one hand the Judge had for sure received bribery from the Arab to rule in his favor. On the other hand, the Rabbi's claims are very convincing, therefore he can't rule in favor of the Arab. That's why he is postponing the ruling.
"What can I do," asked Rabbi Sofer. "There is only one way out," said the man. "If the Rabbi gives a larger bribery, then it will clear the Judges conscious."
The Rabbi was shocked but had no choice but to try. At the next hearing the Judge asked the Rabbi to refresh him. The Rabbi stood up, walked over with a pile of papers, gave them to the Judge and said, "I have written all my claims here in short."
The Judge started leafing through the papers and saw the money. His eyes lit up and said, "sure I remember, everything is clear and obvious, of course the money must be paid to your son."
This story has a message for us too. One of the most important tasks in our life is to educate our children correctly, to enjoy Torah and Mitzvos, to appreciate the privilege of being Jewish. The fact that we know that it is true, and even if we prove it, it doesn't always hit home. Why? Because our hearts are bribed by our desires.
