צדק צדק תרדוף כשתתן לך שופטים אתה הממנה את השופטים בהו את היותר שופטי צדק אע''פ שאין בהם כל כך שאר תכסיסים הראוים לדיין כמו שלמות הקנין ושלמות הגוף כענין אל תבט אל מראהו ואל גבה קומתו: צדק צדק תרדוף. When you are about to put this legislation into practice, the party in charge of appointing such judges is told by Moses to select only those who are already known for their sense of fair play and righteousness. He will have to look for such people all over the tribe. If potential judges do not have all the qualifications which are desirable in a judge, this qualification of fairness is the overriding quality all must possess. This is what the prophet Samuel was told by G’d when he had to look for a replacement of King Sha-ul among the sons of Yishai. (Samuel I 16,7) He was specifically told to ignore external appearances.
למען תחיה וירשת תצטרך לזה יותר בארץ כי חסרון זה ימנע הירושה בה כאמרו בעון בצעו קצפתי: למען תחיה וירשת, such qualities are of even greater importance in the Land of Israel, as a failure to comply would result in the ancestral right to that country being denied to you. Compare Isaiah 57,17 who quotes G’d as telling him that a corrupt judiciary [getting away with sinful greed? Ed.] was a primary cause for G’d’s anger at the people.