אהבה LOVE: book two

1. When plants grow to completeness, through this there is love in the world

2. The love of a woman for her husband can be discerned by the flies and mosquitoes in the house. Also, through their love, it is possible to know the power of the evil inclination, whether it has been weakened or not.

3. Sages of the generation with love between them, that they see each other occasionally, then they have the power to judge the whole world, and their judgment stands, and no one can change or annul their judgment, for the Holy One Blessed be He is their Supreme Judge of their court.

4. Through needless hatred, one comes to eat non-kosher food (lit: stumbles regarding meat that was not prepared kosher).

5. Through lust of eating, one comes to love one of his sons more than the others.

דין JUDGE:

ספר המידות - ערך דין

א. כל דין שדן אמת - דיניו אינם בטלים ונתקים אפלו שלא ברצון בעלי הדינים:

1. Any judge who judges truthfully—his judgments will not be annulled, and they prevail even against the will of the litigants.

ב. על ידי שהדין תורה הולך ונתמעט, על ידי זה הפרנסה נתמעטת, וכן להפך:

2. As a result of Torah law (/resolutions of a Torah court) weakening, through this livelihood shrinks, also the opposite is true.

ג. על ידי העמדת דינים שאינם הגונים באים הרהורי עבודה זרה:

3. Through the appointment of judges who are unworthy, come idolatrous thoughts.

ד. על ידי חתון עם תלמיד חכם על ידי זה נתמנים דינים כשרים:

4. Through marrying a Torah sage, worthy judges are appointed.

ה. על ידי דינים כשרים התורה חביבה בעולם:

5. Through proper judges, the Torah is beloved in the world.

ו. על ידי הבזיונות שמבזין את הדינים, התבואה - נשתלח בה מארה:

6. Due to the insults which the judges are insulted, the crops – plagues (/curse) fall upon it.

ז. על ידי הבזיונות שמבזין דיני ישראל, על ידי זה היקר הוה בעולם:

7. Through the insults which judges of Israel are insulted, through this inflation occurs in the world.

ח. כשאיזהו רשע נתגדל, אזי קשה לחדש איזהו סברה בפוסקים. גם דברי הדינים אינם נשמעים באזני הבעלי דינים:

8. When an evil person becomes great, it becomes hard to deduce novel reasoning in Torah law, and also the words of judges are not accepted (/coherent) by the litigants.

ט. התחדשות המסים וארנוניות הוא על ידי הדינים:

9. The renewal of national and local taxes is through the judges. [translator's note: This is regarding a spiritual relation between the two, rather than a simplistic description of the work of the judge.]