Derasha 4 on Shoftim 16:20

TT #13 · Parashas Shoftim · First Aliyah · Passuk 20

The Complete Passuk

צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף לְמַ֤עַן תִּֽחְיֶה֙ וְיָרַשְׁתָּ֣ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃

Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that the Eternal your God is giving you.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sanhedrin 32b (continuation).

Sefaria · Sanhedrin 32b

Core Text of Chazal

ת״ר, צדק צדק תרדף – הלך אחר בית דין יפה, אחר חכמינו לישיבה.

English: Our Rabbis taught: “Justice, justice shall you pursue” — go after a good court, after the sages of the academy.

On the daf / in context

The doubled language is also understood as a directive to the litigant: pursue justice by seeking out the best available court rather than remaining with an inferior tribunal.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The repetition is taken as an instruction to seek superior judicial quality.

What Is Learned

A litigant is obligated to pursue the best possible court and the most learned judges rather than settling for a lesser tribunal.