Deut. 16:18-21:9
Judgment and Righteousness, is the beginning theme found in the first reading of this Torah portion: “You shall set up judges and law enforcement officials for yourself in all your cities that the Lord, your God, is giving you, for your tribes, and they shall judge the people [with] righteous judgment. You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show favoritism, and you shall not take a bribe, for bribery blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts just words. Justice, justice shall you pursue, so that you will live and possess the Land that the Almighty your God, gives you" Deu 16:18-20. The Hebrew word “tzedek” means “righteousness” or “justice” and is one of the attributes of the God of Israel. God is called the Lord our Righteousness; (Jer 23:6), the Righteous God; (Psalm 129:4 & Isa 45:21), and so on. So from a Jewish Encyclopedia we have “Righteousness is the fulfillment of all legal and moral obligations. Righteousness is not an abstract notion but rather consists in doing what is just and right in all relationships; "…keep justice and do righteousness at all times" (Ps. 106:3; cf. Isa. 64:4; Jer. 22:3; Ezek. 18:19–27; Ps. 15:2). Righteous action results in social stability and ultimately in peace: And the work of righteousness shall be peace (Isa. 32:17; cf. Hos. 10:12). Renderings given in the English versions of the Hebrew root "ẓadaḳ" and its derivatives "ẓaddiḳ," "ẓedeḳ," "ẓedaḳh." The use of "righteous" as a translation for "yashar" (="upright") is less frequent. "Just," "justice," "justify" also occur as equivalents for these Hebrew terms.”
At Mt. Sinai in the giving of God’s Torah to Israel, right after the Ten Words or Ten Commandments are given, we see God staring to set laws that deal with social justice starting with the Hebrew slave and so on; Exo 21-23:9. God could have given the Israelites instructions of worship, instructions on building the Tabernacle or any other instructions, but God choses to make the people aware of how to treat the Hebrew slave, which is a form of righteous judgment to others, ref; Exo23:9, God declares "You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.” The words of our Master Rabbi Yeshua are a direct quote to the Torah when he was asked the question “Of all the commandments, which is the most important? He replied Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
Let us take heed to these attributes of God, that are not
just His, but should be ours as well! 1 Cor 15:34 Awake to righteousness, and
sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God ……
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