Parasha Thoughts
| By Rabbi Shemuel Akhamzadeh לֹ×־תַטֶּ֣ה מִשְ×פָּ֔ט ×œÖ¹Ö¥× ×ªÖ·×›Ö´Ö¼Ö–×™×¨ ×¤Ö¸Ö¼× Ö´Ö‘×™× ×•Ö°×œÖ¹×־תִקַּ֣ח שֹ×֔חַד ×›Ö´Ö¼Ö£×™ הַשֹּ×֗חַד יְעַוֵּר֙ ×¢Öµ×™× ÖµÖ£×™ ×—Ö²×›Ö¸×žÖ´Ö”×™× ×•Ö´Ö½×™×¡Ö·×œÖµÖ¼Ö–×£ דִּבְרֵ֥י צַדִּיקִֽ×׃ …you shall not take bribes, for bribes blind the eyes of the discerning and upset the plea of the just. Chofetz Chaim writes that in order to know how credible a statement is (not just in terms of the truthfulness), one needs to look at who is making the statement. For example, when a poor man claims his friend is wealthy, it could mean his friend is financially stable and not much more. But if an affluent individual says his friend is well-off, then this claim can be taken more seriously. The same holds true in regards to wisdom. If a child claims someone is clever, it may not mean much. But if Einstein praises someone’s wisdom, then we can assume that the person is a particularly smart person. So now what if Hashem himself testifies to one’s wisdom? This is one statement we cannot brush aside as Hashem is the source of all wisdom. This is exactly what Hashem is saying in our pasuk. Even one who is a wise man ( to the level that Hashem is testifying to his wisdom by calling him Chacham) is still prone to being blindsided by bribes. Now you may think to yourself, exactly how often is one in a position of accepting bribes? The truth is we are always in circumstances of bribing ourselves and are blinded from seeing the truth. One may bribe himself when he is tested to have a tasty treat and is willing to accept a subpar kashrut certification, or one may take the position in an argument when he is not impartial and may benefit from the result. Therefore, we always need to seek the advice of a Rav or an older associate to make sure we are not blinded by the outcome of the decision we are making. Shabbat Shalom |