Derasha 1 on Shoftim 16:18

TT #1 · Parashas Shoftim · First Aliyah · Passuk 18

The Complete Passuk

שֹׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ בְּכׇל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ לִשְׁבָטֶ֑יךָ וְשָׁפְט֥וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם מִשְׁפַּט־צֶֽדֶק׃

You shall appoint magistrates and officials for your tribes, in all the settlements that the Eternal your God is giving you, and they shall govern the people with due justice.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sanhedrin 16b.

Sefaria · Sanhedrin 16b

Core Text of Chazal

ת״ר, מניין שמעמידין שופטים לישראל ת״ל שופטים תתן, ומניין שמעמידין שוטרים, ת״ל שוטרים תתן.

English: Our Rabbis taught: From where do we know that we appoint judges for Israel? From the verse “judges shall you appoint.” And from where do we know that we appoint officers? From the verse “and officers shall you appoint.”

On the daf / in context

Sanhedrin 16b discusses the obligation to appoint both judges (shofetim) and enforcement officers (shoterim). The double language of the verse teaches that the two roles are distinct and each is independently required.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The Gemara uses the separate phrasing “judges … officers” to establish two independent mitzvot of appointment.

What Is Learned

The Torah requires both judges who decide the law and officers who enforce it. Each appointment is a separate commandment; one does not depend on the other.