Teachings from Tradition
Rabbi Eddie Sukol
Parshat Shoftim
Deuteronomy Chapter 16, verse 18 through Chapter 21, verse 9
A core principle of Jewish ethics is articulated in the opening of this week’s Torah portion, Shoftim. "Justice, justice, you must pursue." (Tzedek, tzedek tirdof.) Of note is the repetition of the word 'justice,' an obvious way for the Torah to emphasize this message. Additionally the verb 'pursue' is in the imperative form—this is an absolute command.
Commentaries on the Torah have noted that the use of 'pursue' conveys that we must be active in regard to justice. It is not sufficient merely to believe that justice is important or to pay lip service to this principle. Rather, through our actions and our efforts we must establish justice in our courts, in our legal system, and in society at large.
Questions arise about how to do this. The Torah provides guidance in this regard. First and foremost, courts must have capable and competent judges. These judges must be scrupulously honest and impartial. The Torah goes to considerable length to emphasize that judges may not accept bribes. Neither may they show deference to the rich or favor to the poor. In adjudicating both criminal and civil matters judges must base their decisions upon the facts in the case and the applicable law.
Until we can achieve justice and equity in our legal system our pursuit will be incomplete. We understand that this means that our work in this area is never really finished. There is always more to do.
I find this comforting in some way. Why? Because it reminds me that we live our lives in a human-Divine partnership. God provides us moral guidance and the ability to comprehend what is right and fair. Our task is to muster our resources, intellectual, spiritual, and material, in order to pursue a world based upon foundational ethics.
To quote William Blake, "It is an easy thing to rejoice in the tents of prosperity…." His message in the epic poem, The Four Zoas, is that we cannot allow our good fortune to inure ourselves to the suffering of others. Their struggles are also our struggles.
There may be a certain resonance in the lyric "It ain’t had to get along with somebody else’s trouble, and they don’t make you lose any sleep at night…, written by the late, great, singer-song writer, and guitarist extraordinaire, Steve Goodman. However, this bit of sardonic folk wisdom is no way to orient ourselves in the world.
Ethical living obligates us to feel others’ suffering, to have compassion and mercy, and to acknowledge our human interdependence and connectedness. Personally I feel this even more strongly since becoming a saba, a grandfather, a few years ago.
Doing what the Torah commands, to pursue justice, must be in the forefront of our minds and reflected in our actions. As the Torah makes clear, this is neither a request nor an option. It is a command. It is an obligation. A personal and communal requirement that we pursue justice.
