Variantly: "and I shall set them at your heads": If you guard your ways, your heads (i.e., your judges) will be guarded, and if not, your heads will not be guarded — whence we are taught that the guilt of Israel is on the heads of their judges. And thus is it written (Ezekiel 33:7-9) "A sentinel have I made you for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from My mouth, you must warn them for Me." (If you do not warn the wicked one and he dies, his blood will be on your head.)
(Devarim 1:14) "And you answered me and you said: Good is the thing that you have spoken to do": You should have said: Our teacher, Moses, from whom is it befitting to learn Torah? From you or from your disciples, or from the disciples of your disciples? And not from you, who suffered over them (i.e., over acquiring words of Torah)? As it is written (Shemoth 34:28) "And he was there (on Mount Sinai) with the L-rd forty days and forty nights." But I know that under your breath you were saying: Now he is appointing over us eighty thousand odd judges. If he (the judge appointed over us) does not listen (to us), we will bring him a gift and he will take our view of things. Thus, "And you answered me, and you said, etc." "that you have spoken to do": When I delayed (in judging your case), you said: Let him "do," quickly.