Ruth Rabbah

“It was in the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land. A man of Bethlehem of Judah went to reside in the fields of Moav; he, his wife, and his two sons”. “It was in the days when the judges judged [shefot hashofetim].” Woe to the generation that judged their judges, and woe to the generation whose judges require judgment, as it is stated: “They also did not heed their judges”. Who were they [those judges]? Rav said: They were Barak and Deborah. Rabbi Yehosha ben Levi said: They were Shamgar and Ehud. Rav Huna said: They were Deborah, Barak, and Yael. Shefot – one, shofetim – two, hashofetim – three.

Rabbi asked Rabbi Betzalel: What is that which is written: “For their mother has committed harlotry”? Is it possible that Sarah our matriarch was a harlot? He said to him: ‘Heaven forbid; rather, when are matters of Torah rendered contemptible before the common people? It is when their owners debase them.’ Rabbi Yaakov bar Avdimi came and rendered it a [midrashic] dictum: When do matters of Torah become like harlots before the common people? When their owners debase them. Rabbi Yoḥanan derives it from here: “The poor man’s [misken] wisdom is contemptible”. Was the wisdom of Rabbi Akiva, who was poor, contemptible? Rather, what is a misken? It is one who is contemptible in his words, like an elder who sits and teaches: “You shall not pervert justice”, and he perverts justice; “you shall not show partiality”, and he shows partiality; “you shall not afflict any widow or orphan” and he afflicts them. Samson followed his eyes, as it is stated: “Take her for me, as she is fitting in my eyes”. Gideon worshipped idols, as it is stated: “Gideon made it into an ephod”. Woe to a judge who shows partiality in judgment. Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: “You shall not do injustice in judgment” – this teaches that a judge who corrupts judgment is called by five names: unjust, hated, detestable, proscribed, abomination. The Holy One blessed be He calls him five: wicked, blasphemer, violator of the covenant, one who infuriates, and defiant. He causes five results in the world; he defiles the land, desecrates the Name, expels the Divine Presence, causes Israel to fall by the sword, and exiles them from their land. Woe to the generation that is corrupted in this way. Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: “You shall not do injustice in judgment [in measure, in weight, or in volume]” – in a judicial ruling. If it is about judicial rulings, it is already stated about judicial rulings! If so, why is it stated, “…in judgment in measure [in weight, or in volume]”? It teaches that one who measures is called a judge, and if he falsifies, he is called five names and he causes five results. Woe is the generation whose measures are false, as Rabbi Benaya said in the name of Rabbi Huna: If you see a generation whose measures are false, a kingdom comes and besets that generation. What is the reason? “Scales of deceit are an abomination to the Lord”, and it is written: “Pride comes, shame comes”. Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Abba: It is written: “Will I find merit with scales of wickedness, [or with a pouch of deceitful weights?]”. Is it possible that a generation whose measures are false will find merit? Rather, “in a pouch of deceitful weights.” Rabbi Levi said: Moses indeed alluded this to Israel in the Torah: “You shall not have in your purse [alternate weights]”; “you shall not have in your house alternate measures”, and if he did so, ultimately, a kingdom will come and beset them, as it is written: “As it is an abomination to the Lord anyone who does [oseh] so, anyone who does [oseh] injustice”, and it is written: “Remember what Amalek did [asah] to you, on the way, as you were leaving Egypt”.