When the Judges Realize They Got It Terribly Wrong | 10@9 | 2026.08.11

What happens when judges discover that a decision they reached - properly, carefully, and according to the evidence before them - was terribly wrong? The Torah’s law of Eidim Zomemim - plotting witnesses - presents an extraordinary case. A second pair of witnesses establishes that the original witnesses could not possibly have seen what they claimed to have seen. The Torah prescribes a unique punishment: the false witnesses are subject to the punishment they sought to impose on the defendant. But Rabbi Henoch Singer points to a deeper lesson. The new testimony doesn't only expose the original witnesses. It forces the judges to confront the fact that testimony they had accepted as valid was false - and that their judgment could have cost an innocent person his life. Their response is a model of humility for judges, leaders, and every one of us. They don't defend the earlier decision simply because it was theirs. When new evidence establishes that they got it terribly wrong, they act to correct it. An ancient and highly technical rule of Torah evidence thus teaches something urgently relevant to our own lives: being responsible doesn't mean never getting it wrong. It means having the humility to recognize when we did - and the courage to make it right. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.