רמב"ן — וגם כל העם הזה על מקומו יבא בשלום

Q — Yitro promises that with his reform, 'גם כל העם הזה על מקומו יבא בשלום'. Rashbam: faster procedure saves the litigants' time. Ibn Ezra: faster procedure prevents disputes from escalating. What does Ramban hear that goes deeper?

A — A slow court system breeds crime. When the only judge is Moshe, the עשוק who has been wronged can't readily access the court — too busy to leave work and wait in a long line. Many give up: 'יסבלו החמס הנעשה להם'. That very inaccessibility becomes 'פתח לגוזלים לעשות חמס ולעושקים לעשות מריבה' — gozlim know nothing will happen quickly, and crime flourishes. Yitro's reform is criminal-deterrence policy. Multiple accessible courts mean the עשוק comes when ready and finds the שופט available; the gozel knows he'll be called to account. 'איש על מקומו יבא בשלום' isn't just faster processing — it's the prevention of the violence and oppression that festered while justice waited.