You must not distort justice; you must not show partiality;
and you must not accept bribes, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise
and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.
Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue,
so that you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Deuteronomy 16:19-20 NRSV
Yesterday I wrote about the creative alternatives the world-wide Jewish community has developed to observe Rosh Hashanah, the "head of the year" festival, because of COVID-19. Later in the day we heard the news that the seemingly indomitable United States Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, had succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 87. Because Supreme Court Justices are political appointments this news is not only sad because of Ginsberg's remarkable life accomplishment. Her death will also likely result in a skirmish, if not a war regarding her replacement.
It should be noted that Ginsberg was a Jew, and in Judaism one who dies as Rosh Hashanah is considered a tzaddik, a person of great righteousness. The literally applies to Ginsberg who was inspired by the Jewish commitment to justice and righteousness. While she was regarded as a liberal she was committed to equality for all. On the wall of her Supreme Court chamber there is a framed phrase from the Book of Deuteronomy A phrase from the Book of Deuteronomy hangs framed on the wall of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Supreme Court chamber: “Justice, justice you shall pursue.”: “Justice, justice you shall pursue.” or “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof" in Hebrew.
Ginsberg certainly honoured these words from scripture and the greater sense of religious obligation which informed her judgments as a Supreme Court justice without skewing or distorting them.
You might want to watch the film On the Basis of Sex which tells Ginsberg's story well. I like these thoughts on Twitter from Rabbi Sari Laufer
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