The intoxicating effects of alcohol pose a severe threat to those in positions of power, blurring their minds and erasing crucial legal and moral boundaries. When leaders lose their mental clarity, the first to suffer are the most vulnerable members of society, whose only defense is a functioning and fair justice system.
The primary approach among commentators is that intoxication causes a judge to forget the established laws, both written and oral, which must be held closely in the heart to deliver a true verdict. Expanding on this, other scholars suggest that the forgotten laws are not limited to religious codes, but also include the civil rules, manners, and state laws enacted by the king to maintain societal order [עמנואל הרומי]. A more specific perspective suggests that an intoxicated leader forgets the very rule forbidding a drunk person from judging, or perhaps even forgets Moses, the ultimate lawmaker, who strictly distanced himself from strong drink [אלשיך]. As a direct result of forgetting these foundational rules, the judge ultimately alters and twists the course of justice [מצודת ציון].
The primary victims of this distorted justice are the oppressed [אבן עזרא], the poor, and the common masses [עמנואל הרומי]. A judge under the influence of alcohol becomes careless and fails to pay attention to details. Even if there is no malicious intent to corrupt the verdict, this reckless behavior disproportionately harms those on the margins of society [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. While wealthy individuals might also suffer from a flawed ruling, the focus remains on the poor because the injury to them is far more severe. A wrongful judgment against the vulnerable creates a double injustice: the perversion of the law and the direct oppression of the helpless [רלב״ג, מצודת דוד].
On a deeper spiritual level, the concept of the oppressed and poor alludes to the Israelites. They are often characterized by poverty and hardship in this world, a condition meant to preserve their ultimate reward for the world to come [אלשיך].