Parshat Shoftim
Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:9

By Torah Blogger, Jen Smith

Tzedek, tzedek tirdof – Justice, justice, shall you pursue. (Deut. 16:20).

If the Torah had a tagline, this might be it. It’s short, memorable, and compelling. It almost begs to be printed on bumper stickers and t-shirts: Justice, Justice, Shall You Pursue. But why the repetition? Isn’t one “justice” enough?

The medieval commentator Ibn Ezra says the repetition is for emphasis: pursue justice always, in every case. The Chassidic masters go deeper. The Me’or Einayim[1] teaches that justice isn’t just about fair courts; it’s about seeking balance between the outer world and the inner world. There’s “justice” in our public institutions, but also “justice” in our souls.

The mystics describe the world as a series of emanations; a divine system called the sefirot. Tzedek, (justice) is more than a Jewish value – it is a cosmic force. When justice is upheld on earth, the sefirot align more harmoniously, and divine blessing flows into creation. When justice is corrupted, that flow is blocked, and the world becomes distorted.

This makes our pursuit of justice not just a political necessity, but a spiritual one. Every fair decision in the courthouse, every act of compassion in daily life, and every defense of truth against falsehood, opens the divine channels of blessing.

And think of how contemporary this is. Around the globe we’re debating: Who gets to decide what is fair? What is true? What is fake? What institutions do we trust? Tzedek, tzedek tirdof is an antidote to despair. Just as the Torah affirms: justice isn’t handed down from the top, it’s something we must pursue. It requires effort, vigilance, and persistence.

The Hebrew verb tirdof means “to chase,” which is the same word used when Pharaoh’s army “chased” Israel through the Sea. Justice does not come easily. It requires us to sprint, to sweat, to keep going even when the obstacles are high. The Zohar imagines that every time a person chooses fairness over corruption, or kindness over cruelty, a thread of divine light is woven into the fabric of the universe. Justice isn’t simply about following and enforcing laws; it’s about aligning heaven and earth.

So what are we to do, living in a world where corruption makes headlines and cynicism often feels like the default lens through which we see the world? We take Parshat Shoftim’s words to heart: we do not give up. We do not just pursue justice in our public civil life, but we must also do so in our personal lives. With the High Holy Days coming up, now is the time to reflect: Do we treat employees, students, strangers, and ourselves with fairness? Do we balance our judgments of others with humility? Are we living our values in our daily choices as parents, leaders, and friends?

The witty truth here is that God didn’t just want us to appoint judges. God wanted us to become judges of ourselves, of our communities, of how we measure goodness. The Torah is teaching us that far from an abstract ideal, justice is a daily pursuit. And every step we take toward it brings not only social blessing, but cosmic blessing as well.

This Shabbat, may we hear the challenge of Shoftim and find the courage to act. Will we settle for systems that favor power above reason? Or will we keep breathlessly running, eternally determined to pursue justice for our community and for our world? The choice is ours.

[1] “Light of the Eyes” written by Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl 1730-1797