DEUT853 More than a slogan, "Justice, justice you shall pursue" [this verse] is the overall guiding principle for Jewish ethics. On an individual level we are charged to go beyond simply being just; we must also be compassionate, going lifnim meshurat hadin, beyond the strict "letter of the law." An example is given in the Talmud of workers who broke a barrel of wine. Even though by halakhah the workers could have had their wages docked, they complained: "We are poor, and if you withhold our wages, we cannot eat." When the business owner consulted his rabbi, he was told, "Go and pay them [their full wages]. The owner asked, "Is that the law?" "It is indeed," the rabbi continued "[for we are enjoined to] Keep the path of the righteous." (B. Bava Batra 83a. The biblical verse is cited in Proverbs 2:20). The Jewish tradition thus envisions a world where in business as in all other areas of life, we act lifnim meshurat hadin, beyond the strict letter of the law, to create a world of peace, harmony, and compassion. (By Barry J. Leff, "Jewish Business Ethics")

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DEUT854 Perhaps the greatest contribution of Judaism to the study of criminal justice is the recognition that the pursuit of justice is difficult and ongoing. There are many explanations of the famous verse in the Torah, "Justice, justice shall you pursue." [this verse]. Why, the Rabbis ask, is the word "justice" repeated in that verse? One might say that the biblical admonition is an attempt to obtain justice both for the individual victim and for society. Others argue that the repetition emphasizes the difficulty in obtaining justice at all. Still others contend that many types of justice might apply in an individual case. In reality it might not be possible to articulate one clear standard of justice applicable to every case. What is important is its pursuit. Judaism's extensive laws reflect a dedication to a criminal justice system that serves the needs of the community while being fair to an offender. "Free choice" forms the fundamental basis for any criminal justice system--the free choice of the defendant to violate the laws and the free choice of society to seek vindication through fair treatment of the defendant. Both must be judged for their exercise for free choice by wisely chosen courts using fair procedures.(By Laurie L. Levenson, "Judaism and CriminalJustice"

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DEUT855 See [[DEUT9]] Deuteronomy 1:16 fairly SACKS 277-80

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DEUT850 In Hebrew, the word for charity is tzedaka. But "charity" is not a fully accurate translation of tzedaka. "Charity" derives from the Latin caritas and suggests a donation made out of affection or love. In contrast, tzedaka derives from the word tzedek, which means "justice" (see, for example, [this verse]). Judaism regards someone who gives tzedaka as acting justly, and one who does not as acting unjustly. Thus, in communities ruled according to Jewish law, as was common in the medieval world, communal leaders, believing that they had the right to stop people from acting unjustly, could and did require people to give tzedaka, just as governments compel citizens to pay taxes.

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DEUT856 See [[LEV770]] Leviticus 19:32 aged TELVOL2 402

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DEUT858 … a literal application of the law is often impossible and more often would result in an injustice ... [thus rejection of] the literal meaning of the Biblical text [may be required] so that the law may conform to the over-arching injunction of the Torah "Righteousness, righteousness shalt thou pursue" [this verse]. This seems, therefore, to be a perfect halakhic illustration of Dr. Max Kedushin's insightful observation that the fact that an ethical value is not specifically referred to in a given rabbinic passage is not to be interpreted to mean that it is not significantly embedded in the passage. Kadushin, Rabbinic Mind, pp. 51-2. Ethical values deeply rooted in the conscious and the subconscious of the people determine their actions and judgments even when not explicitly mentioned.

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DEUT859 (Continued from [[LEV594]] Leviticus 19:17 rebuke GREENBERG 75). Something of this quality of meddlesomeness inheres in the commandments regarding justice and peace. Most commandments of the Torah are to be fulfilled when the occasion naturally arises for their fulfillment. Righteousness and peace, however, are to be "pursued," that is, one is not to wait until the opportunity to do righteousness and to establish peace comes to him. "Righteousness, righteousness shall Thou pursue" [this verse]. "Turn from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it" (Psalm 34:15). And Job says, "I was a father to the needy; and the cause of him that I knew not I searched out" (Job 20:16).

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DEUT862 See [[LEV502]] Leviticus 19:16 stand ISAACS 6-7

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DEUT860 Knowing how to act appropriately is often not a simple matter, and can require a lifetime of study. [American President Lyndon Johnson once said, "a president's hardest task is not to do what is right, but to know what is right."] For example, it is not enough to know that the Bible commands, "Justice, justice shall you pursue" [this verse]; we also need to study and deduce in every situation what constitutes acting justly. Having good intentions is not enough. For example, Immanuel Kant, perhaps the most esteemed philosopher of the past three centuries, argued, on moral grounds, that it was forbidden to lie to a murderer who asked where his intended victim had gone (see page 423). Hillel's principle dictates otherwise. If you would find it unconscionable for someone to answer a murderer truthfully as to your whereabouts, then assume that others (perhaps with the exception of Kant) would agree. Therefore, in such a situation, tell a lie (see pages 424 –– 427). That Hillel intended his summary of Judaism's essence to be taken literally is reflected in the fact that, when the non-Jew accepted this teaching as valid, Hillel converted him. [While there is no indication in the Talmud that the non-Jew committed himself to observing Judaism's ritual laws, talmudic commentators insist that Hillel, a man of unusual perspicacity, was confident that the man would become a fully observant Jew. Nevertheless, this story suggests that the teaching of Judaism to potential converts should focus disproportionately, though not exclusively, on Judaism's ethical teachings.]

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DEUT861 See [[LEV353]] Leviticus 19:12 swear TELVOL 1 420

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