Shofetim: why "tzedek tzedek"?

GIL 28.8.25

Tallulah, when I was in High School I had a class mate whose name was Mustafa Mustafa. We used to joke that he was the boy so good they named him twice. Or, in our crueller moments, we used to tease him that his parents didn’t bother to name him at all. But it was certainly a source of intrigue for us – how would you feel if your name was not Tallulah but rather Yarisal Yarisal?

Today you read for us a similar phrase in the Torah: Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof – Justice, justice, you shall pursue. And we discussed a little about why the Torah, so famously laconic and precise, where every letter of every word is considered to have a meaning, why does the Torah decide to repeat the word “Tzedek”, justice?

The answer is not given to us, and so naturally there are many theories. Ibn Ezra says that Moses is speaking to people who are disputing a case. And he repeats the word “justice” in order to indicate that one should pursue justice whether one wins or loses. He gives a second theory too: that the word is repeated to indicate that one should pursue justice as long as one exists. And then a third theory: that the word is repeated simply for emphasis, so that we remember this phrase.

But another interpretation argues that the word justice is written there twice, because justice alone is not enough. Because there are many types of justice, just as there are many kinds of truth. As we say today in English, that there are two sides to every story. And it’s possible that both sides can be write, that both sides can have their truth, and that we need to remember that, however much we might like to think it, it’s not possible that we are the only ones that are right.

Another direction, from Rabbeinu Bahya, the word “Tzedek” is repeated because we must strive to be just in both our words and in our deeds. We should speak correctly and truthfully, but our actions should mirror our words, and we should act justly too.

And yet another explanation for why we repeat “Tzedek Tzedek”, in the name of the Yid Hakadosh from Psischa: justice should follow justice – that we should be sure to pursue justice in a just way, and not through lies and falsehood. The ends do not justify the means, if it means lying and cheating in order to get the right result. This we spoke about too – how you should and shouldn’t behave in your schoolwork, for example in your tests and exams.

The Babylonian Talmud goes a little further, in a discussion on this verse in tractate Sanhedrin (32b).

“When the verse states: “Justice, justice, shall you follow,” one mention of “justice” is stated with regard to judgment and one is stated with regard to compromise. How so? Where there are two boats traveling on the river and they encounter each other, if both of them attempt to pass, both of them sink, as the river is not wide enough for both to pass. If they pass one after the other, both of them pass. And similarly, where there are two camels who were ascending the ascent of Beit Ḥoron, where there is a narrow steep path, and they encounter each other, if both of them attempt to ascend, both of them fall. If they ascend one after the other, both of them ascend.

These are two concrete illustrations that we can well imagine. Sometimes it’s more important to compromise than to be right, and assert your right of way. Me I started driving very late, I was 31 before I found myself behind the wheel of a car. As a new driver in Luxembourg, I was sure that everyone followed the rules. Other drivers politely gave way, smiled at my mistakes, and it was mostly thanks to them that I didn’t get into any crashes. But imagine my culture shock when I started driving in Israel. There they follow the rules too, the main one being that you need to drive aggressively. But after a while, I understood that even that culture has its compromises too, and that there is a second sense of justice behind the “might is right” mentality, and that this involves compromises too. In short, it’s clear that sometimes working together with others can be a win-win outcome for both parties, and in order to achieve this, one needs to learn to step back from ones rights in order better to compromise.

The Talmud talks about boats and camels, the transportation of its time. And I share my experience driving a car. But Tallulah you can see how one can draw conclusions more widely around the need for justice and the need for compromise in our daily lives. It’s not enough, sadly, to be right and know that you’re right. It’s necessary, but it’s not enough. With that knowledge you then need to act justly and to act well too, and that’s the second Tzedek being mentioned once again.

Tallulah – it’s been a pleasure working with you and getting to know you this summer, as it was with your brother Isak last year. I hope very much that you take these lessons from your bat mitzvah into your adult Jewish life, and that you apply them well. I have no doubts that you are a girl with huge academic and creative potential, and, like all of us, I look forward to seeing how you develop this in the years to come. Know that whether you are in Berlin or in Geneva, or anywhere in the world, you have a global family and Jewish community in which to find your place and your home. And together, may we all pursue justice and kindness, compromise, reconciliation and peace. And may this come speedily and in our days, and may it be so good that we name it twice: Tzedek Tzedek tirdof, im shalom shalom.

Mazal tov Tallulah!