A city wish establishes for themselves a court, they must know that each one of them [the judges] have these seven qualities:

1. wisdom in Torah,
2. modesty,
3. fear/awe [of G-d],
4. a hatred of money [as an ends], even their own,
5. love of truth,
6. the love of all creatures [i.e. people] is for them, and
7. they have a good reputation in their deeds.

Whoever establishes a judge who isn’t upright, violates a prohibition, as it says “do not recognize faces [an idiom: show favoritism] in judgement”, as if to say, “do not recognize the face of the person, to say ‘so-and-so is wealthy”, or “… is my relative”, I will settle the judgement for him.

Any judge who accepts an appointment for silver/money and gold, it is prohibited to stand before him [for judgment] or honor him in any honor. About him our rabbis whose memory is a blessing expounded, “Gods of silver and gods of gold, do not make for yourselves.

For a mussar shmuess: Reread this se’if keeping in mind that each one of us assesses those around us in a “courtroom of our mind”. What qualities do we need to cultivate in our relationships to others?