(TZEDEK – TZEDEK) Justice -justice shall you pursue, that you may live and possess the land HASHEM, your G-d, is giving you. (Devarim 16:20)

What is the 2nd “TZEDEK” adding to the holy equation of the Torah? The double emphasis is not on the verb, the pursuing but rather on that which is being sought, “Tzedek Tzedek”. What is Tzedek Tzedek?

Rashi explains that one should seek out a good court. There is certainly more being expressed here for the “man in the street” as well, for people seeking to get to the bottom of a matter, and do the right thing!?

“TZEDEK-TZEDEK TIRDOF” would seem to imply a universal mandate, like “KEDOSHIM TEHEHU” – BE HOLY” and “BECHARTA B’CHAIM”- “CHOOSE LIFE”. Here we are being told to be pursuers of TZEDEK, but not just TZEDEK, but “TZEDEK- TZEDEK! What’s the difference?

Perhaps one is a noun and the other an adjective. We do find that Dovid HaMelech writes in Tehillim 119:142,“Your righteousness is righteousness forever…”. So, perhaps we are not just seeking “TZEDEK” – “righteousness”, but rather righteousness which is righteous, “TZEDEK -TZEDEK”. Again, what is the difference between being right and being rightfully right?

The following is scripted from a brief clip of Rabbi YY Jacobson speaking; “The Tzemach Tzedek asks, What’s the difference between children and adults?” He answers, “Adults keep grudges and children don’t keep grudges.” How many times does a son or a daughter tell you, “Totty, I hate you. I’m not speaking to you again”. Ten minutes later, you give them ice cream and you are best friends.

Mommy, I hate you. I wish I had a different mommy” Ten minutes later, you give them a hug and you are the best mommy in the world. An adult tells you, “I’m not speaking to you again!” Fifteen years later, they still don’t tell you, “Good Shabbos”. They don’t invite you to their grandson’s Bar Mitzvah, because fifteen years ago they had a dispute in business.

Asks the holy Tzemach Tzedek, “Children are immature and adults are mature! Why do adults keep grudges and children forget right away!?” This is what he says, “Children choose being happy over being right. Adults choose being right over being happy.” We would rather be miserable but we’re going to be right. I won’t speak to my uncle and I won’t speak to my brother-in law, I won’t speak to my sister in-law, I won’t speak to my partner for twenty-five years, Chas V’Shalom to pick up a phone and say, “I’m sorry”, because I’m gonna be right. I’ll be miserable, but I’m going to be right.”

Many times, I had kids sent to my office for disturbing class insisting that they had done nothing wrong and they were entirely right. Very often the scenario went like this; The teacher handed back a test and the student got the right answer but it was marked wrong and the student shouted across the room, “I got this one right! You’re wrong to mark me wrong! When the teacher attempts to calm him down, the child becomes more militant and righteously indignant. Even if it’s true, the student needs to understand that the way he went about it was way inappropriate. My simple and oft repeated advice for life,” Be smart, not right!”

Rabbi Dovid Winiarz OBM said, “Saying “I’m sorry” doesn’t make the other person right. It means that you value the relationship more than you do being right.” Being right doesn’t blindly dictate a course of action. It must be determined to be a righteous rightness.