The verse from Ecclesiastes (3:16) sets the stage: “Moreover, I have seen, under the sun, in the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the place of justice there is wickedness.” Ouch. It stings, right? The text doesn't pull any punches. It observes that even where we expect to find fairness and righteousness, we often find the opposite.
Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, as quoted in Kohelet Rabbah, zoom in on this idea. They point out that "in the place of judgment there is wickedness" could even refer to the very Sanhedrin, the Great Assembly that was meant to determine Jewish law for Israel. A place where halakha was decided. Instead of a beacon of moral clarity, it could become tainted.
To illustrate this, the text references Jeremiah 39:3, describing Babylonian princes sitting at the Middle Gate – a gate, the text notes, whose name hatavekh is similar to the word for "determine" (ḥotekh). It paints a picture: "Where the master hung his weapon, the insolent shepherd hangs his jug." The commentary here is striking: A place formerly used for a glorious purpose has now been appropriated for an inglorious one.
But it gets even more intense. The Divine Spirit is screaming, "And in the place of justice, there is wickedness!" This refers to a place, as Isaiah 1:21 says, where "Justice would lodge in it, but now murderers." The text specifically mentions the killings of Zekharya and Uriya.
And the story of Zekharya is particularly haunting. Rabbi Yonatan asks Rabbi Aḥa: Where was Zekharya killed? Not in the women’s courtyard, not in the Israelite courtyard, but in the priests’ courtyard! And his blood wasn't treated like that of an animal, which the Torah (Leviticus 17:13) commands to be covered with dirt. No, Zekharya's blood was spilled on the stones, left uncovered, as Ezekiel 24:7-8 describes, "to arouse fury to take vengeance."
According to the text, God deliberately left Zekharya's blood exposed to motivate the Babylonians to avenge his death upon the Israelites.
The story continues: For 252 years, from the time of Yoash to Zedekiah, Zekharya's blood seethed and bubbled. When Nevuzaradan came to destroy Jerusalem, he was horrified by this sight. He demanded to know what it was. Attempts to cover it failed. Finally, the truth was revealed: it was the blood of a prophet, priest, and judge, murdered for his rebukes. Nevuzaradan then slaughtered thousands more, but still the blood wouldn't rest until, finally, Nevuzaradan himself, this wicked conqueror, showed mercy. And at that moment, God, in turn, showed mercy, and the blood was absorbed.
Rabbi Yudan points out that the Israelites committed seven transgressions when they killed Zekharya. They killed a priest, a prophet, and a judge, they spilled innocent blood, they defiled the Temple courtyard, and it was Shabbat and Yom Kippur. Quite a list.
The text then broadens the scope. Rabbi Yehoshua interprets the verse in light of the Golden Calf incident. "In the place of judgment there is wickedness" – even in the place where Moses, of all people, implemented justice after the sin of the Golden Calf (Exodus 32:27). And Rabbi Yuda applies it to the events at Shittim, where injustice led to a plague (Numbers 25:4, 9).
Finally, Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Yitzḥak delve into the nature of God's hand and right hand, and how the soul, despite God's commandments, still chooses to sin. Rabbi Yitzchak said that the Holy One blessed be He said to the soul: Soul, I strengthened you very much and commanded you, and said: “Just be strong not to eat the blood [because the blood is the soul]” (Deuteronomy 12:23), and [nonetheless the soul] goes out, violently robs, sins, and subjects itself to the attribute of justice, and emerges from the attribute of justice and sins, as it is stated: “Speak to the children of Israel saying: ‘If a soul sins unwittingly…’” (Leviticus 4:2).
What's the takeaway here? Perhaps it's a call for constant vigilance. Justice isn't a given; it's something we have to actively cultivate and protect, even (and especially) in the places where we expect to find it most. It's a reminder that even those in positions of power can fall prey to corruption, and that we, as individuals and as a community, must hold them accountable. It is also a recognition that even the soul, which is so intimately connected with God, can stray from the path of righteousness and succumb to sin. The lesson being that we must always strive to be better and to uphold the values of justice and righteousness in all aspects of our lives.