Justice

המונח צדקה3 אשר לביטוי "צדקה" – הוא נגזר מן "צדק", שהוא הצדק ("אלעַדְל"). הצדק הוא: מתן מה שמגיע לכל מי שמגיע לו, ולתת לכל מצוי מן המצויים כפי הראוי לו. על פי המשמעות הראשונה (של מילת המקור 'צדק'), אי

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וְאֵלֶּה הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהלים צט, ד): וְעֹז מֶלֶךְ מִשְׁפָּט אָהֵב, אֵימָתַי נִתַּן הָעֹז לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהוּא עוֹשֶׂה אֶת הַדִּין בְּעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים

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Justice then in this sense is perfect Virtue, though with a qualification, namely that it is displayed towards others. This is why Justice is often thought to be the chief of the virtues, and more sub

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Justice in this sense then is not a part of Virtue, but the whole of Virtue; and its opposite Injustice is not a part of Vice but the whole of Vice

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Now we observe that everybody means by Justice that moral disposition which renders men apt to do just things, and which causes them to act justly and to wish what is just; and similarly by Injustice

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Let us then ascertain in how many senses a man is said to be unjust. Now the term unjust is held to apply both to the man who breaks the law and the man who takes more than his due, the unfair man. He

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The existence of the latter is proved by the following considerations: (1) When a man displays the other vices—for instance, throws away his shield, from Cowardice, or uses abusive language, from Bad

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Now since an unjust man is one who is unfair, and the unjust is the unequal, it is clear that corresponding to the unequal there is a mean, namely that which is equal;

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Again, equality involves two terms at least. It accordingly follows not only (a) that the just is a mean and equal [and relative to something and just for certain persons], but also (b) that, as a mea

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