“Justice, justice shall you pursue” is the double injunction found in Deuteronomy 16:20 and is the centerpiece of this section of the Torah we call Shoftim (Judges).
The entire parasha is Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9 and begins by showing us, in the summary narrative that comprises the entire Book of Deuteronomy, the importance of establishing courts of law, even in the wilderness, by and for an unsettled people. Of course, this exercise is in anticipation of establishing a home in the Promised Land.
As a covenant people, the Israelites amassed a good amount of history, or foundation, on which to build. Sentences 18 and 19 call for judges and officers who are beyond reproach, and of the highest moral and ethical character. Then the words turn to the people and command them to pursue justice, but not just any justice. By repeating the word, we are challenged to engage in an exercise in deep diligence, impartiality in adjudication and fairness in the dispensation of remediations be they corporal or material or both. Justice for one is justice for all.
Whenever the Torah repeats a word or name, the reader is being invited to probe the verse for deeper meaning. Often, repetition is employed for emphasis or intention. In this context, a moral judiciary is critical to the establishment of a moral society.
It is so interesting that Parashat Shoftim comes at a time of year when we begin our preparations for closing the past year and preparing for the year to come. Considering the word tzedek — justice — is presented in duplicate form, the words act as a statement about the inner workings of the individual as much as they concern the outer workings of the community.
This month of Elul functions as an invitation to prepare for the impending Yom Hadin, the Day of Judgement connected to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. One of the essential spiritual practices of this time is the act of teshuvah, return. Teshuvah is a process of shifting our spiritual position toward God and toward our best ideals of our selves.
Looking to our past does not mean living in it. On that path of teshuvah, one must start with introspection, thus becoming one’s own judge. Through this process, we prepare ourselves to stand before the Judge of the Universe. In the “Lower Court” of our own judgment, we are given the task to review our personal case and take account of our own actions and thoughts. Teshuvah is our means toward an inner transformation, while the Torah provides us with methods and means.
When read in this context, “Tzedek, Tzedek tirdof” gives us a focus for our spiritual preparation. Rabbi Eliyahu Dressler, in his work “Strive for Truth!”, discusses the challenge of honesty and impartiality in self-judgement.
Paraphrasing: If you cannot be honest with yourself, how can you be honest with others? We cannot rely on God to peel back the layers of our deception; we need to lay our souls bare to God. But before we can do that, we must lay ourselves bare to ourselves. Rabbi Dressler helps us see that when we make excuses for our shortcomings and failures, we stand in the way of our own spiritual progress.
The pursuit of justice in the month of Elul requires us to partner with God in reconciliation and rehabilitation. Our role as judge in our lives’ Lower Court is to inspire truth telling as a vehicle for transformation and fulfillment. We are our own best expert witness to our lives and agents for change.
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said, “By three things the world is sustained: by judgment, by truth and by peace.”
Through our Elul preparations, I hope you will find this Shabbat a way to impart peace on every level, judgment with all its facets, and truth expressed in the harmonies of our mingling voices through a symphony of study, ritual and prayer.
Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi and Cantor Ronald Eichaker serves United Hebrew Congregation and is a police chaplain. He is a member of the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association, which coordinates the d’var Torah for the Jewish Light.
