מִצְוָה שֶׁיִּשְׁפֹּט בְּצֶדֶק – לִשְׁפֹּט בְּצֶדֶק, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא יט טו) בְּצֶדֶק תִּשְׁפֹּט עֲמִיתֶךָ, וּבָא הַפֵּרוּשׁ שֶׁנִּצְטַוּוּ הַדַּיָּנִין לְהַשְׁווֹת בַּעֲלֵי הָרִיב, כְּלוֹמַר, שֶׁלֹּא יְכַבֵּד הַדַּיָּן אֶחָד מִבַּעֲלֵי הַדִּין יוֹתֵר מִן הָאַחֵר, וְכֵן אָמְרוּ בַּסִּפְרָא (קדושים ד ד) שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא אֶחָד מְדַבֵּר כָּל צָרְכּוֹ, וְאֶחָד אוֹמֵר לוֹ קַצֵּר דְּבָרֶיךָ. וְכֵן בְּפֶרֶק שְׁבוּעַת הָעֵדוּת (שבועות ל א), תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן בְּצֶדֶק תִּשְׁפֹּט עֲמִיתֶךָ, שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא אֶחָד עוֹמֵד וְאֶחָד יוֹשֵׁב, אֶחָד מְדַבֵּר כָּל צָרְכּוֹ וְאֶחָד אוֹמֵר לוֹ קַצֵּר דְּבָרֶיךָ. וְכֵן בִּכְלַל מִצְוָה זוֹ, שֶׁכָּל אִישׁ שֶׁהוּא חָכָם בְּדִינֵי הַתּוֹרָה וְיָשָׁר בִּדְרָכָיו, שֶׁהוּא מְצֻוֶּה שֶׁיָּדִין דִּין תּוֹרָה בֵּין בַּעֲלֵי הָרִיב אִם יֵשׁ כֹּחַ בְּיָדוֹ, וַאֲפִלּוּ יָחִיד יָכוֹל לָדוּן מִדִּין תּוֹרָה, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (סנהדרין ג, א) אֶחָד דָּן אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ דִּין תּוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּצֶדֶק תִּשְׁפֹּט עֲמִיתֶךָ. וַחֲכָמִים הִזְהִירוּ (אבות ד ח), שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא אָדָם דָּן יְחִידִי. וְעוֹד יֵשׁ בִּכְלַל מִצְוָה זוֹ, שֶׁרָאוּי לְכָל אָדָם לָדוּן אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת וְלֹא יְפָרֵשׁ מַעֲשָׂיו וּדְבָרָיו אֶלָּא לְטוֹב. The commandment to judge with righteousness: To judge with righteousness, as it is stated (Leviticus 19:15), “you shall judge your people with righteousness.” And the explanation of it comes that the judges were commanded to treat the parties to the dispute equally - meaning to say that the judge not honor one of the litigants more than the other. And so they said in Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 4:4 that one not speak all that he needs, and [the judge] say to the other, “Speak briefly.” And so [too,] in the chapter [entitled] Shevuot HaEdut (Shevuot 30a), “Our Rabbis learned, ‘“You shall judge your people with righteousness” — that it not be that one stand and one sit; one not speak all that he needs, and [the judge] say to the other, “Speak briefly.”’” And so [too,] included in this commandment is that every man that is wise in the laws of the Torah and righteous in his ways is commanded to judge the law of the Torah between parties of a dispute, if he has the power in his hand [to do so]. And even an individual can judge from Torah writ — and like they, may their memory be blessed, said (Sanhedrin 3a), “One can judge his fellow from Torah writ, as it is stated, ‘You shall judge your people with righteousness.’” But the Sages warned (Mishnah Avot 4:8), that a man not judge alone. And also included in this commandment is that it is fit for every person to judge his fellow favorably, and only to understand his deeds and his words favorably.
שֹׁרֶשׁ הַמִּצְוָה נִגְלֶה הוּא, כִּי בְּהַשְׁוָיַת הַדִּין יִתְיַשֵּׁב הָעוֹלָם, וְאִם יְכַבֵּד הַדַּיָּן אֶת הָאֶחָד מִבַּעֲלֵי הַדִּין עַל הָאַחֵר יִפְחַד בַּעַל הָרִיב מִלְּהַגִּיד כָּל טַעֲנוֹתָיו לְפָנָיו, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ יֵצֵא הַמִּשְׁפָּט מְעֻקָּל. וּבְמָה שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ שֶׁמִּצְוָה עַל הֶחָכָם בְּדִבְרֵי תּוֹרָה וְהוּא אִישׁ יָשָׁר לָדוּן בֵּין הַחוֹלְקִים, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בִּכְלַל הַמִּצְוָה, כְּמוֹ כֵן, גַּם בָּזֶה תּוֹעֶלֶת, כִּי הֶחָכָם וְהַיָּשָׁר, יָדִין דִּין אֱמֶת. וְאִם הוּא הַיּוֹדֵעַ לֹא יִרְצֶה לִשְׁפֹּט יִשְׁפְּטוּם שְׁאָר בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁאֵינָם חֲכָמִים וְיַטּוּ הַדִּין עַל הָאֶחָד מִבַּעֲלֵי הַדִּין בְּלִי יְדִיעָה. גַּם בְּמָה שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ שֶׁכָּל אָדָם חַיָּב לָדוּן חֲבֵרוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת, שֶׁהוּא בִּכְלַל הַמִּצְוָה, יִהְיֶה סִבָּה לִהְיוֹת בֵּין אֲנָשִׁים שָׁלוֹם וְרֵעוּת, וְנִמְצָא שֶׁעִקַּר כָּל כַּוָּנַת הַמִּצְוָה לְהוֹעִיל בְּיִשּׁוּב בְּנֵי אָדָם עִם יֹשֶׁר הַדִּין וְלָתֵת בֵּינֵיהֶם שָׁלוֹם עִם סִלּוּק הַחֲשָׁד אִישׁ בְּאִישׁ. The root of the commandment is revealed to all — as with equitability in judgment, the world is civilized. But if a judge honors one of the litigants over the other, the [latter] disputant will fear to say all of his claims in front of him. And from this, the judgment will come out twisted. And about that which we said that it is a commandment upon one wise in words of Torah — and he be a righteous man — to judge those who disagree, that this is included in the commandment as well; there is benefit in this as well, as he will judge a true judgment. But if this one that knows does not want to judge, other people who are not wise will judge them, and they will slant the judgment towards one of the litigants without knowing. Also about that which we said that every person is obligated to judge his fellow favorably — that it is included in the commandment — is a cause for there to be peace and amity among people. And [so] it comes out that the essence of the whole intent of the commandment is to help in the civilization of people with righteousness of judgment, and to bring peace among them with the removal of suspicion of one man towards another.
מִדִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה. מָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (שבועות לא א) שֶׁשְּׁנֵי בַּעֲלֵי דִּין שֶׁהָיָה הָאֶחָד לָבוּשׁ בְּגָדִים יְקָרִים וְהַשֵּׁנִי בְּגָדִים בְּלוּיִים, אוֹמְרִים לַמְּכֻבָּד הַלְבִּישֵׁהוּ כְּמוֹתְךָ אוֹ לְבַשׁ כְּמוֹתוֹ וְאַחַר כָּךְ נָדִין בֵּינֵיכֶם, כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּהְיוּ שָׁוִין, וְעַכְשָׁו בִּזְמַנֵּנוּ לֹא רָאִינוּ בֵּית דִּין שֶׁעָשָׂה כֵּן. וְעוֹד אָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (רמב"ם סנהדרין כא ג) שֶׁמִּצְוָה לְהוֹשִׁיבָם בְּשָׁוֶה, וְלֹא הָאֶחָד לְמַעְלָה מֵחֲבֵרוֹ אוֹ הָאֶחָד בִּישִׁיבָה וְהָאַחֵר בַּעֲמִידָה, רַק בְּתַלְמִיד חָכָם וְעַם הָאָרֶץ שֶׁאָמְרוּ בָּהֶם מוֹשִׁיבִין הֶחָכָם וְאוֹמְרִים לְעַם הָאָרֶץ שֵׁב, וְאִם לֹא יָשַׁב אֵין מַקְפִּידִין עַל כָּךְ (שם ה"ד). וְאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (שם ה"ו) שֶׁאִם בָּאוּ לְפָנֶיךָ הַרְבֵּה דִּינִין וְיֵשׁ בֵּינֵיהֶן דִּין יָתוֹם וְאַלְמָנָה, שֶׁמִּצְוָה לְהַקְדִּימָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיהו א יז) שִׁפְטוּ יָתוֹם רִיבוּ אַלְמָנָה. כְּלוֹמַר, שֶׁבְּדִינָם נִצְטַוִּינוּ לְזָרֵז יוֹתֵר מִבְּדִין אֲחֵרִים. וְכֵן אָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (כתובות קה ב), שֶׁדִּין תַּלְמִיד חָכָם קֹדֶם לְדִין עַם הָאָרֶץ, וְדִין אִשָּׁה קֹדֶם לְדִין אִישׁ, לְפִי שֶׁבֹּשֶׁת הָאִשָּׁה מְרֻבָּה, וְכָל זֶה שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ בִּכְלַל בְּצֶדֶק תִּשְׁפֹּט הוּא. וְעִנְיָנִים אֵלּוּ עִם יֶתֶר פְּרָטֵי הַמִּצְוָה, בִּמְקוֹמוֹת מְפֻזָּרִים בַּתַּלְמוּד, וּמֵהֶן הַרְבֵּה בְּסַנְהֶדְרִין וּשְׁבוּעוֹת [ח"מ סימן יז]. From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Shevuot 31a) [regarding] two litigants, whereby one was dressed in expensive clothes and the other in worn clothes, we say to the honored one, “Dress him like you, or dress like him; and afterwards, we will judge between you” — so that they be equal. And now in our time, we have not seen a court that did this. And they, may their memory be blessed, also said (Mishneh Torah, The Sanhedrin and the Penalties within Their Jurisdiction 21:3) that it is a commandment to sit them equally, and not that one be above his fellow or that one be sitting and the other be standing — except for a Torah scholar and an ignoramus, about which they said that we seat the Torah scholar and say to the ignoramus, “Sit”; but if he does not sit, we are not concerned about this (Mishneh Torah, The Sanhedrin and the Penalties within Their Jurisdiction 21:4). And they, may their memory be blessed, said (Mishneh Torah, The Sanhedrin and the Penalties within Their Jurisdiction 21:6) that if many cases came in front of you, and among them was a case of an orphan or a widow, that it is a commandment to have them precede [the others]; as it is stated (Isaiah 1:17), “judge the orphan, dispute for the widow” — meaning to say that we were commanded to quicken their cases more than with the case of others. And so [too,] did they, may their memory be blessed, say (Ketuvot 105b) that the case of a Torah scholar precedes the case of an ignoramus, and the case of a woman precedes the case of a man — since the embarrassment of a woman is great. And all this that we said is included in “you shall judge with righteousness.” And these matters, together with the rest of the details of the commandment are in scattered places in the Talmud, and many among them are in Sanhedrin and Shevuot. (See Tur, Choshen Mishpat 17.)
וְנוֹהֶגֶת מִצְוָה זוֹ בְּכָל מָקוֹם וּבְכָל זְמַן בִּזְכָרִים, שֶׁהֵן חַיָּבִין לָדוּן וְלֹא הַנְּקֵבוֹת. וְאוּלָם גַּם הַנְּקֵבוֹת חַיָּבוֹת בְּמַה שֶּׁאָמַרְנוּ שֶׁהוּא בִּכְלַל מִצְוָה זוֹ, וְהוּא לָדוּן הֶחָבֵר לְכַף זְכוּת. And this commandment is practiced in every place and at all times by males — as they are obligated to judge, and not females. However, also females are obligated about that which we said is included in this commandment, and that is to judge one’s fellow favorably.