The passage above from this week’s Torah portion hardly needs an introduction. The first three words in Hebrew and their associated translation—”Justice, justice shall you pursue”—adorn some wall in almost every Reform congregation in the country and you can likely find them on the walls of many other synagogues as well.
What’s often overlooked are the subsequent phrases. In the classic style of Deuteronomy, a reason is given for obeying the laws: “so you might thrive and succeed in the land.” (For the Torah scholars among you, look at the laws in Exodus that don’t give a reason.) The Hebrew for “thrive” in the translation is tich’yeh—תִּֽחְיֶה֙—which literally means “live.” Pursue justice so you might live in the land is the closest literal reading of the passage. Immediately preceding this passage are rules establishing courts and the importance of impartiality for both the justices who adjudicate in those courts and also for the shotrim (שֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים)—translated as “magistrates”—who will serve the justices. From that same root also comes the Hebrew word for “police”—mishtarah. Taken together, these lofty words of Deuteronomy establish an incredibly high bar for the administration of justice. Written thousands of years before our own U.S. Constitution, Deuteronomy seeks to establish independent courts, a just police force, and sets the pursuit of justice above all.
What strikes me most powerfully about this Deuteronomic idea is that it is aspirational. Every human system will always be challenged by the limitations of our humanity. We are sorely tempted to sway justice in the direction of those who might have the capacity to curry favors or abuse the system in other ways. Deuteronomy reminds us—no, implores us—to rise beyond our base tendencies and strive to secure a system of justice where neither the rich nor the poor receive favor. Holy words when written, they remain holy for us even today.
—Rabbi Ron Stern
