Parshas Shoftim - upholding the halacha
The passuk says at the beginning of this week’s sedrah (16:18) שֹׁפְטִים וְשֹׁטְרִים תִּתֶּן לְךָ בְּכָל שְׁעָרֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ לִשְׁבָטֶיךָ וְשָׁפְטוּ אֶת הָעָם מִשְׁפַּט צֶדֶק Judges and magistrates you shall appoint for yourselves in all your gates that Hashem is giving you, for each shevet , and they shall judge the people with a righteous law. It would seem that it is difficult to understand why the passuk says אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ . Since we know that Hashem gives Eretz Yisrael to the benei yisrael it would seem that the passuk could simply have said שֹׁפְטִים וְשֹׁטְרִים תִּתֶּן לְךָ בְּכָל שְׁעָרֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר לִשְׁבָטֶיךָ וְשָׁפְטוּ אֶת הָעָם מִשְׁפַּט צֶדֶק ? The passuk continues (16:19) לֹא תַטֶּה מִשְׁפָּט לֹא תַכִּיר פָּנִים וְלֹא תִקַּח שֹׁחַד כִּי הַשֹּׁחַד יְעַוֵּר עֵינֵי חֲכָמִים וִיסַלֵּף דִּבְרֵי צַדִּיקִם You shall not judge unfairly, you shall show no partiality and you shall not take bribes, for br