“Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that your God has given you” (verse 20).

צֶדֶק צֶדֶק תִּרְדֹּף לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה וְיָרַשְׁתָּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ

(Deuteronomy 16:20)

This famous phrase, or at least its opening words, has often been used as a rallying cry for “Jewish values” centered on the pursuit of justice. But what does it actually mean, and why is the word justice repeated?

In its immediate context, the verse appears to apply specifically to judges and courts. Rashi explains that the repetition simply means that one must actively seek out proper judges, and that establishing a fair and functioning legal system is sufficient to ensure the people’s continued presence in the land.

Sforno adds that the commandment goes one step further: it requires careful vetting of judges before their appointment, ensuring that they are already known for integrity and fairness. Justice, according to Sforno, must precede the courtroom.

The Talmud in Sanhedrin 32b expands the scope further, teaching that this guiding principle must inform every stage of a legal case—not only the final ruling. Even compromise (pesharah) must be shaped by justice and not convenience alone.

Ibn Ezra also focuses on the doubled language, explaining that justice must govern the outcome even if it results in financial loss or personal cost to the judge. The repetition emphasizes unwavering commitment, not efficiency or self interest.

Ramban offers a more conceptual interpretation, reading the two instances of tzedek as referring to two kinds of justice. The first is justice in this world—the imperfect, human system of law. The second is justice in the World to Come, where divine reward completes what human courts cannot. Pursuing justice in this world earns justice in the next.

The Rav expands on Ramban’s idea. Justice in this world is necessarily incomplete because truth and peace are often in tension. A just compromise may preserve peace, but it can never fully preserve truth, since each litigant must relinquish part of their claim. This idea is rooted in a Midrash describing a dispute among the angels: righteousness and justice favored the creation of humanity, while truth and peace opposed it, knowing that humans could never fully embody both. God cast truth aside, allowing peace to remain alongside justice and righteousness. In the World to Come, truth will be restored, and full harmony between truth, peace, justice, and righteousness will finally be possible. This, according to the Rav, is the second tzedek in the verse.

All of these interpretations, however, remain grounded in the immediate context of judges and law. Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch extends the verse beyond the courtroom to all areas of public and private life. The obligation to pursue justice, he argues, is not limited to legal institutions but must guide every sphere of human conduct. Perhaps Rav Hirsch is motivated to broaden the verse’s meaning because of its placement. Although it appears in a legal section, the verse stands on its own as a concluding principle, teaching an overarching lesson: justice is not merely a system—it is a way of life