Mishpatim תרל”ט

במדרש מגיד דבריו ליעקב כו’. פי’ הנהגת הבורא ית’ שמנהיג את עולמו מסר לבנ”י כמ”ש כח מעשיו הגיד לעמו וממילא שהעולם נמסר בידם צריך ללמד להם משפטיו לכן הזהיר לא תטה משפט ככתוב שם במדרש דע שאתה מזעזע אחד מרגלי עולם כו’.
The Midrash (Shemos Rabbah 30:9) He teaches His words to Yaakov etc. (The Midrash explains that the traits of HaShem are unlike a human king. Whereas a human kind would command his natio to keep certain laws he himself is not bound by them. However HaShem has given us the Torah and the law of the Torah can follow the decisions of Beis Din).
This means that the leadership of HaShem with which He leads the world, is given over to Bnei Yisrael. As the pasuk states (Tehillim 111:6) “The power of His actions He has told His people”. Now since the world is given to Bnei Yisrael, they need to be instructed in His laws. This is therefore the reason for the mitzvah: “You shall not pervert judgment”, for you must realize that you are shaking one of the foundations of the world.
וברש”י לפניהם ולא לפני עכו”ם אפילו אתה יודע שדנין כדין ישראל כו’ הוא כנ”ל שאין כח במשפט עכו”ם לפסוק את הדין אבל דייני ישראל הכח בידם. וכאשר פוסקים את הדין מתקיים כך כנ”ל.
Rashi (on the pasuk “these are the laws that you shall place before them”), means before them and not before the idol worshippers. This teaches us that one may not take one’s case to be judged by an idol worshiper even if one knows that they have the same laws.
This is the same idea explained above. The power of the courts of the idol worshippers are not the same as the courts of Bnei Yisrael. For the law is given into the hands of the Beis Din and not the idol worshippers courts.
והרב מפרשיסחא ז”ל פי’ לפניהם שיהי’ המשפט לפני עצמותם שימסרו נפשם עליו ע”ש בס’ קול שמחה.
The Rav of Pershischa explained the words “You shall place before them”, which means that the law must be even before their own existence, that they must be prepared to sacrifice their lives for it. See the sefer Kol Simcha.
ולפמ”ש ג”כ תלוי בזה ע”י שמסרו בנ”י נפשם בנעשה ונשמע. לכן נמסר בידם המשפט כי בודאי כיון שמסר הבורא ית’ הכל בידם. וודאי מצא אותם נאמנים לפניו ועי”ז שהוא לפניהם כנ”ל במס”נ לכן הוא לפניהם כפשוטו ג”כ כנ”ל.
And as we have explained it is all dependent on this. Because Bnei Yisrael sacrificed their lives by saying “na’aseh v’nishma”, therefore (due to their commitment) HaShem gave them the power of the law. For clearly if HaShem gave them this power it was because He saw that they were indeed loyal to His law. Since it was “before them” that they had sacrificed themselves, therefore it was also “before them” in the simple sense as well (that they are able to decide the law)

והנה מגיד דבריו הם הדיברות שהתורה היא חיות העולם וכל הבריאה וע”י קבלת התורה נמסר בידם כח כל הבריאה ואח”כ זכו אל המשפטים כנ”ל.
Now the pasuk “He tells His words to Yaakov”, these words are referring to the commandments, for the Torah is the life force of the world, and entire creation. Through accepting the Torah, the entire creation was given to Bnei Yisrael, and they subsequently merited the laws. As above.
וכתיב עושי דברו לשמוע בקול דברו כי ע”י שהאמינו בו ית’ וקיבלו לעשות כל דברי ה’ אף מה שאין משיגין. לכן זכו אח”כ להשיג המשפטים והטעמים כמ”ש כמה פעמים במ”א שע”י אמונה זוכין לאמת.
Furthermore it states “They do His will to Hear the sound of His words”. This means that through believing in HaShem and the commitment to fulfill His commandments, even those that one does not comprehend, therefore they meritted to subsequently comprehend laws and reason, as we explained several times (see תרל”א 1). It is through emuna that one attains truth.
וע”י היגיעה בחושך שהוא עבודת ימי המעשה זוכין בשבת להשגת הדעת שהוא נק’ מנוחה מה שאדם מבין בשכלו ומשיג שורש הדברים לאמיתותן.
It is through the effort that one exerts in the darkness, the days of the week, that one merits to Shabbos, to attain דעת true understanding, which is called מנוחה rest. This is when one understands an idea with his mind and comprehends the source and its very truth.
ז”ש ואלה מוסיף על הראשונים פי’ שזה תוספות שכר. כמו נשמה יתירה שזוכין בשבת ע”י ימי עבודה והוא שכר ותוספות על עבודת החול כמו כן המשפטים תוספות על קבלת הדיברות בדרך אמונה כנ”ל:
This is the idea of ואלה the ‘vav’ adds on to the previous idea. For it is an additional extra reward. Just as on Shabbos one has an extra soul that one attains through the work of the days of the week. (It is something extra, not the mere result of the effort). Similarly the receiving of the power of the laws are in addition to the original acceptance of the Torah which was through emuna (but now one receives a clarity). As above.