DEUT311 (Continued from [[DEUT47]] Deuteronomy 11:22 ways DORFFWITO 18-9). As indicated earlier, in many ways chesed denotes the personal, individual aspects of tikkun olam, while tzedek and mishpat denote its social elements. Furthermore, similar to chesed, tzedek and mishpat are core values of the Jewish tradition. Thus, at the end of the first chapter of Ethics of the Fathers (1:18), we read an alternative list of values on which the world depends: “Rabbi Simeon ben Gamliel says: The world depends on three things: on justice (ha-din), truth, and peace, as the Bible says, ‘Judge in your gates truth and justice (u’mishpat) and peace’” (Zechariah 8:16). Like chesed, the justice aspects of tikkun olam are also part of God's very essence: “Righteousness and justice (tzedek u’mishpat) are the base of Your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness (chesed ve’emet) stand before You” (Psalms 89:15; see also 97:2). The Book of Proverbs asserts that if a person pays attention to wisdom, “Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and attain knowledge of God... He reserves ability for the upright and as a shield for those who live blamelessly, guarding the paths of justice (mishpat), protecting the way of those loyal to Him. You will then understand what is right, just and equitable (tzedek u’mishpat u’meisharim)—every good course” (Proverbs 2:5, 7-9). Consequently, to seek God is to seek justice: “Listen to Me, you who pursue justice, you who seek the Lord... For teaching (torah) will go forth from Me, My way (mishpati, “my justice”) for the light of peoples … Listen to Me, you who care for the right (tzedek), O people who lay My instruction to heart!” (Isaiah 51:1, 4, 7). From the Bible's point of view, then, the tasks of discerning the just and the good and then acting on that knowledge are not just central to our Jewish identity; they are what God demands of us: “Do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord...” (Deuteronomy 6:18). Many philosophical questions immediately arise from that verse and the other passages we have been considering. What do we mean by the terms kind, just, right, and good in the first place, and how are they different from each other? How shall we determine the courses of action that are good or that are right or good in morally ambiguous situations? And how is God related to our moral discernment and action? We will consider such questions in chapter 3, but for now, suffice it to say that tikkun olam and its component values have deep roots in the Jewish tradition, identifying core values in the identity of both Jews and God.