Justice! Pursue Justice!

Yesterday afternoon, Ellie and I were privileged to attend the Ceremonial Swearing-In of Honorable Irina G. Ehrlich as Judge in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County. Irina and her husband Charlie Ehrlich, 15 years a judge in the same court, are members of Shirat Hayam.

Irina invited me to offer an invocation. Setting aside any qualms about straddling the synagogue-state divide, I happily accepted.

The ceremonial courtroom on the sixth floor of Philadelphia City Hall was packed with about 200 people. Charlie described the challenging emigration of Irina’s family from Ukraine (then in the Soviet Union; she was 21) to the United States and her drive and success in the law. (Her parents tended her three young children while she was in law school and then beginning her career.)

The proceedings were impressively formal yet personal. When Irina’s parents held the bible for her oath and then helped her don a judge’s black robe, I was not the only one in the room whose eyes were welling with tears. For me, they were tears of joy for Irina and tears of hope for our country — that at least in one small corner of this blessed land, the rule of law is taken seriously by many people who care about the health of our democracy.

Here is my invocation:

Your honors, justices and judges, honored colleagues, family, friends, community… and the rest of us: Good afternoon!

In Jewish sacred text, one of the most succinct foundational and universal demands is all of three words from the book of Deuteronomy/devarim: tzedek tzedek tirdof. Justice! Pursue justice!

tzedek tzedek tirdof. Justice! Pursue justice!

Why repeat “justice”? And why “PURSUE justice” rather than, say, “DO justice” or simply “BE JUST”?

Among the interpretations of those three words:

Justice can’t make itself happen.
Justice can be elusive; sometimes, you must seek it out.
You may not always be able to achieve justice, but you are not exempt from trying.

Pursuing justice is an action. Jewish tradition has numerous blessings for actions. Actions such as eating, lighting candles to usher in special days, even for having used a toilet — to name a few.

Is it not an action to pursue or seek justice, to do justice? Fundamental to a healthy society, justice is — or should be — a universal imperative. It must be more important than lighting Shabbat candles, right?! So, why no blessing for justice?

Well, we offer blessings for actions we can complete: We eat the apple, we light the candles. There is no blessing for good intentions.

We can pray for strength to maintain objectivity in judgement. We may hope to do what’s right in every case regardless of economic, political, religious or social status of plaintiff or defendant. Yet we know that justice can be imperfect.

Judge Irina G. Ehrlich is an outstanding exemplar of what one can achieve in these United States. In 30 years, she has mastered English, pledged allegiance as a US citizen, earned a JD, raised a family, served as prosecutor and defense attorney (though not at the same time) — all the while maintaining her wry sense of humor.

I am certain that, with her broad legal experience, Judge Ehrlich will pursue justice in ways that reflect her commitment to the rule of law, despite political or cultural headwinds.


Her determination will help ensure, in her own words, “that every voice is heard, that the weak and vulnerable are protected.” May Judge Ehrlich — and all who engage in the pursuit of justice — be blessed with stamina, patience, persistence and impartiality.

Now, there is a blessing appropriate for this august moment

— a prayer of appreciation (shehecheyyanu) … which can be translated as:

To the Chief Justice of the most Supreme Court on High: We are present with love, hope and gratitude, thankful to be together for this solemn and celebratory ceremony.

Amen.