שׁוֹפְטִים וְשׁוֹטְרִים, צָרִיךְ שֶׁיִּהְיוּ הַשּׁוֹפְטִים בַּעֲלֵי זְרוֹעַ בְּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים. שֶׁכָּךְ עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה, וַיִּבְחַר מֹשֶׁה אַנְשֵׁי חַיִל (שמות יח, כה), בְּתוֹרָה וּבְמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים וּבִגְבוּרָה. וְצָרִיךְ שֶׁיִּהְיוּ נְקִיִּים מִכָּל מִשְׁפָּט, שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא לְאָדָם פִּתְחוֹן פֶּה עֲלֵיהֶם. כְּמֹשֶׁה שֶׁאָמַר לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, לֹא חֲמוֹר אֶחָד מֵהֶם נָשָׂאתִי (במדבר טז, טו). וּשְׁמוּאֵל שֶׁאָמַר, הִנְנִי עֲנוּ בִי נֶגֶד ה' וְנֶגֶד מְשִׁיחוֹ אֶת שׁוֹר מִי לָקַחְתִּי וַחֲמוֹר מִי לָקַחְתִּי וְגוֹ' (ש״א יב, ג). הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר, שׁוֹפְטִים וְשׁוֹטְרִים, שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא בָּהֶם דָבָר שֶׁל פְּסוּלוּת. מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר, שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ אִילָן נָטוּעַ בְּתוֹךְ שָׂדֵהוּ וְנוֹפָיו נוֹטוֹת לְשָׂדֶה אַחֵר. בָּא אָדָם אֶחָד וְקָבַל לְפָנָיו וְאָמַר, אִילָנוֹ שֶׁל אִישׁ פְּלוֹנִי נוֹטֶה לְתוֹךְ שָׂדִי. אָמַר לֵיהּ: לְךָ וּבוֹא לְמָחָר. אָמַר לֵיהּ: כָּל הַדִּינִין הַבָּאִים לְפָנֶיךָ, מִיָּד אַתָּה פּוֹסֵק, וְדִינִי אַתָּה מְאַחֵר. מֶה עָשָׂה רַבִּי חֲנִינָא, מִיָּד שָׁלַח פּוֹעֲלָיו וְקָצַץ אֶת הָאִילָן שֶׁהָיָה בְּתוֹךְ שָׂדֵהוּ וְנוֹטֶה לְשָׂדֶה אַחֵר. לְמָחָר בָּא אוֹתוֹ הָאִישׁ לְפָנָיו לַדִּין. אָמַר לוֹ לְבַעַל דִּינוֹ, צָרִיךְ אַתָּה לָקוּץ אוֹתוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ: וְלָמָּה אִילָן שֶׁלְּךָ עֲנָפָיו נוֹטִין לְשָׂדֶה אַחֵר. אָמַר לוֹ: צֵא וּרְאֵה כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאַתָּה רוֹאֶה אֶת שֶׁלִּי, כָּךְ עֲשֵׂה אֶת שֶׁלְּךָ. מִיָּד הָלַךְ וְעָשָׂה כָּךְ. לְפִיכָךְ כְּתִיב: שׁוֹפְטִים וְשׁוֹטְרִים, שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא בַּשּׁוֹפֵט דָּבָר שֶׁל פְּסֹלֶת. Judges and officials (Deuteronomy 16:18): The judges need to be men of strength through good deeds. As this is what Moshe did: "And Moshe chose men of valor" (Exodus 18:25), in Torah, in good deeds and in courage. And they need to be clean of any infraction, such that there not be a claim (literally, opening of the mouth) for a person against them. [This is] as with Moshe, who said to Israel (Numbers 16:15), "I have not raised up a donkey from one of them"; and Shmuel, who said (I Samuel 12:3), "Here I am, testify against me in the presence of the Lord and in the presence of His anointed one; whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, etc." I would thus say, "Judges and officials [appoint for yourself]," that there should not be any matter of disqualification in them. There was a case with Rabbi Chanina ben Elazar who had an inclining tree on his field, such that the branches were inclined over the field of someone else. A man came in front of him and complained and said, "The tree of x is inclined over my field." He said to him, "Go, and come back tomorrow." He said to him, "All the cases that come before you, you judge immediately. But my case you are delaying?" What did Rabbi Chanina do? He immediately sent workers to cut his tree that was in his field, but the branches were inclined over the field of someone else. The next day, that [plaintiff from the previous day] came for judgement. [Rabbi Chanina] said to his opponent, "You need to cut it." He [answered] him, "So why are the branches of your tree inclining over the field of someone else?" He said to him, "Go and see. The same way you see mine, so do to yours." He immediately went and did so. Hence it is written, "Judges and officials," that there should not be a matter of disqualification in the judge.