Pursue Kindness and Compassion Parashat Shoftim "Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that the LORD your God is giving you." (Deuteronomy 16:20)
One of the most quoted verses in the Torah, the Rabbis explain that the double use of the word "justice" indicates that in pursuing justice we must be just. It is their way of saying the ends cannot justify the means.
While we would all love to see a judicial system that was perfect, we might agree that what we have leaves us wanting more. Justice is different from revenge. Justice seeks to balance the scales and in some cases that can never be accomplished. Justice doesn't always heal the pain. Maybe we ought to pursue kindness and compassion with the same vigor as we pursue justice.
Greenburgh Hebrew Center rabbistein@ghcny.org 515 Broadway Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 914-693-4260 office@ghcny.org www.ghcny.org
