זוהר, משפטים י״דZohar, Mishpatim 14

Segment 1א׳

(שמות כ״ג:ז׳) מִדְּבַר שֶׁקֶר תִּרְחָק וְנָקִי וְצַדִיק אַל תַּהֲרוֹג וְגוֹ'. פִּקּוּדָא לְהַשְׁווֹת הַבַּעֲלֵי דִּינִין, וּלְהִתְרַחֵק מִדְּבַר שֶׁקֶר, דְּלָא יֵימְרוּן מַשּׂוֹא פָּנִים (יש בדבר). דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ, (דברים י׳:י״ז) אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשָּׂא פָּנִים. וְלֹ"א יִקַּ"ח שֹׂחַ"ד, בְּסוֹפֵי תֵּיבוֹת אֶחָד. הַאי דַּיָּין, צָרִיךְ לְמֶהוֵי כְּגַוְונָא דְּאֶחָד, דְּאִיהוּ יְדוָֹ"ד אֶחָד, דְּלָא יִקַּח שֹׂחַד, דִּיהֵא אִיהוּ בְּדִיּוּקְנֵיהּ.

KEEP FAR FROM A FALSE MATTER; AND DO NOT SLAY THE INNOCENT AND THE RIGHTEOUS, ETC. The precept is to make the two parties to a suit equal, and to keep far from a false matter, so that they may not say, ‘There is partiality in the matter.’ For of the Holy One, blessed be He, it is said: “who shows no partiality” (Deut. 10, 17). And “nor does He take a bribe” — its final letters are ehad, one. This judge must be after the pattern of ehad, who is the Lord, One, so that he takes no bribe, that he may be in His image.

Segment 2ב׳

וּבְדִינָא לְהַשְׁווֹת תַּרְוַויְיהוּ כְּאֶחָד, וְלָא יַטֶּה דִּינָא לְדָא יַתִּיר מִן דָּא, אֶלָּא בְּתִקְלָא חַד, עַד דִּיקַבְּלוֹן דִּינָא. וּלְבָתַר, כָּל חַד אִתְּדָן, כְּפוּם עוֹבָדוֹי.

And in judgement he must make the two of them equal, and not incline the judgement to the one more than to the other, but hold them in one balance until they accept the judgement. And afterwards each one is judged according to his deeds.

Segment 3ג׳

וְאוּקְמוּהָ מָארֵי מַתְנִיתִין, צַדִּיק יֵצֶר הַטּוֹב שׁוֹפְטוֹ. רָשָׁע, יֵצֶר הָרָע שׁוֹפְטוֹ. בֵּינוֹנִי, זֶה וְזֶה שׁוֹפְטוֹ. מַאן דְּאִיהוּ מֵאִילָנָא דְּחַיֵּי, לֵית לֵיהּ דִּינָא כְּלָל, לֵית לֵיהּ יֵצֶר הָרָע, וְדָא צַדִּיק גָּמוּר, וְדָא צַדִּיק וְטוֹב לוֹ. וְלֵית טוֹב, אֶלָּא תּוֹרָה. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (משלי ד׳:ב׳) כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם תּוֹרָתִי אַל תַּעֲזוֹבוּ. וְצַדִיק וְרָע לוֹ, מִסִּטְרָא דְּעֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע. וַאֲמַאי אִתְקְרֵי צַדִּיק בָּתַר דְּרַע לוֹ, דְּאִיהוּ יֵצֶר הָרָע. אֶלָּא, בְּגִין דְּטוֹב שַׁלִּיט עָלֵיהּ, אִתְקְרֵי צַדִּיק וְרָע לוֹ. דְּהַהוּא רָע אִיהוּ תְּחוֹת רְשׁוּתֵיהּ. (ס"א כעבדא תחות רביה)

And the sages of the Mishnah have explained: the righteous man — the good inclination judges him; the wicked man — the evil inclination judges him; the intermediate man — this one and that one judge him. He who is from the Tree of Life has no judgement at all, and has no evil inclination; and this is the wholly righteous man, and this is “a righteous man and it is well with him”. And there is no good but the Torah, as it is written: “For I have given you good doctrine; do not forsake My Torah” (Prov. 4, 2). And “a righteous man and it is ill with him” is from the side of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And why is he called righteous, seeing that it is ill with him — which is the evil inclination? Rather, because the good rules over him he is called “a righteous man and it is ill with him”, for that evil is under his authority.