Parshat Devarim
One of the greatest misunderstandings about justice is that it’s simply about fairness.
If everyone gets what they’re entitled to, justice has been served.
The Torah offers a richer definition.
It describes a lender who has every legal right to keep a poor person’s cloak as collateral for a loan.
Yet each evening, the cloak must be returned.
Not because the lender lost that right.
Because having the right doesn’t always make it the right thing to do.
Justice requires discernment.
Having the right doesn’t always make it the right thing to do.
It asks us to look beyond what we’re entitled to and understand what the moment truly requires.
Perhaps the same is true in our own lives.
There are times when the fair decision isn’t yet the complete one.
When doing what is legally justified isn’t yet doing what is truly just.
The Torah reminds us that justice isn’t only about applying principles.
It’s about applying them with wisdom, compassion, and discernment.
As Shabbat approaches, may we be blessed with the discernment to look beyond what is merely fair, the wisdom to recognize what is truly just, and the compassion to bring the two together in the way we live.
Shabbat Shalom!
