Ah gut Shabbos! The Means Matter (Shoftim)

Rabbi Silber's Parsha Thought on Shoftim opens with the command "Tzedek tzedek tirdof" - justice, justice shall you pursue - and asks why the word "tzedek" is doubled. He teaches that the doubling means the pursuit of justice and goodness must itself be conducted justly: reaching a good outcome isn't enough if the process used to get there is dishonest or unrighteous. Rabbi Silber's point is a sharp, brief mussar reminder that the means matter every bit as much as the result.

• Pursuing a good result the wrong way isn't good enough - the process has to be just too.
• The ends don't justify the means; how you get there matters as much as where you end up.
• Even noble goals like building justice, charity, or kindness must be pursued honestly and righteously.
• Doubling the word tzedek teaches that righteousness must run through both our goals and our methods.