Judgment

Mishpat means judgment or law, and it represents the practical application of justice in human society. While tzedek is the ideal, mishpat is the mechanism — the courts, laws, and legal proceedings through which fairness is enacted. The Torah commands: 'You shall not pervert mishpat' (Deuteronomy 16:19), establishing fair judgment as a divine mandate. The Jewish legal system, developed over millennia, is one of the most sophisticated in human history. The Sanhedrin (supreme court), batei din (courts), and the elaborate Talmudic legal discussions created frameworks for everything from commercial disputes to capital cases. Remarkably, the Talmud preserves minority opinions alongside majority rulings, teaching that dissenting views have value and may prove correct in future circumstances. The prophets frequently pair mishpat with tzedakah (righteousness): 'Do mishpat and tzedakah' (Jeremiah 22:3). This pairing suggests that law alone is insufficient — justice must be tempered by compassion, and legal rigor must serve human dignity. A system that is technically correct but practically cruel fails the test of true mishpat. In modern Israel, the commitment to mishpat is embodied in an independent judiciary and a vibrant legal culture. The Israeli Supreme Court, sitting as the High Court of Justice (Bagatz), has the power to review government actions — a role it has exercised boldly and controversially. The ongoing tension between security needs and legal protections, between majority rule and minority rights, keeps the ancient question of mishpat urgently relevant in Israeli public life.