RAV KOOK ON Yitro PART 2: Serving the Community

"Moses sat to judge the people. They stood around Moses from morning to evening." (Ex. 18:13) From the account in the Torah, it would seem that Moses spent all his time judging the people. Yet, it was clear to the Sages that this could not be the case. Overworked Judges The Talmud (Shabbat 10a) relates that two dedicated judges worked such long hours that they were overcome with fatigue. (It is unclear whether this was a physical weakness from overwork, or a psychological depression from time lost from Torah study.) When Rabbi Hiyya saw their exhaustion, he advised the two scholars to limit their hours in court: "It says that Moses judged the people from morning to evening. But could it be that Moses sat and judged all day? When did he have time for Torah study? "Rather, the Torah is teaching us that a judge who judges with complete fairness, even for a single hour, is considered to be God's partner in creating the world. For the Torah uses a similar phrase to describe Creation, 'It was evening and morning, one day' (Gen. 1:5)." Rav Hiyya's statement requires clarification. If judging is such a wonderful occupation — one becomes a partner with God! — then why not adjudicate all day long? And in what way is the work of a judge like creating the world?