Yechiel Michel Epstein

“ Know that one who places excessive fear on the community that is not for the sake of Heaven will never see descendants who are scholars. Furthermore, it is prohibited to treat the community flippantly, and their honor should not be light in his eyes, even if they be unlearned, as they are still children of Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov, of holy seed, and therefore he should not tread on the heads of this holy people. A judge must shoulder the burden of the community, and they in turn must treat him with respect and reverence. ”

“ Any judge who does not judge accurately causes the Divine Presence to remove itself from the Jewish people – and any judge who takes money from one and gives to another not in accordance with the law – G-d takes souls from him in recompense. On the other hand, any time a judge correctly applies the law, striving for absolute truth, he is credited as if he repaired the entire world, and he causes the divine Presence to dwell amongst the Jewish people. ”

“ However, when one seeks to establish a communal court, all the members must be knowledgeable and possess fear of G-d.
It is forbidden to establish one who is ignorant of law as a judge with the proviso that he will enquire of a sage for every case, for perhaps he will not bother sometimes and will decide the law incorrectly. If there is no one in a city qualified to act as judge, and they do not have the funds necessary to hire a sage from another city, the best and wisest among them can be appointed as judges, in order to prevent lawlessness from taking hold. ”