Derasha 6 on Shoftim 16:18

TT #6 · 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 (same as previous unit).

Sefaria · Sanhedrin 16b

Core Text of Chazal

תניא, רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר, לשבטיך ושפטו, מלמד שמצוה בשבט לדון את שבטו.

English: It was taught: Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says, From “for your tribes” and “they shall judge,” we learn that it is a mitzvah for a tribe to judge its own tribe.

On the daf / in context

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel emphasizes the tribal responsibility: each tribe is commanded to maintain judicial order for its own members.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The combination of “lishvatekha” and “ve-shaftu” is read as a tribal obligation.

What Is Learned

Each tribe has a positive commandment to judge its own members and maintain tribal judicial order.