Parashat Va'etchanan: The Torah's Guide to Doing the Right Thing

At the beginning of Parashat Va'etchanan, the Torah gives us a simple instruction with profound implications:

"And you shall do what is right and good in the eyes of Hashem, so that it may go well with you." (Deuteronomy 6:18)

What does it mean to "do what is right and good"? This seemingly straightforward command has inspired generations of Torah scholars and philosophers, each offering a deeper understanding of how it should shape our lives.

Knowledge Is Not Enough

The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once wrote:

"What I lack is the clear knowledge of what I am to do, not what I am to know."

His words echo a teaching from Pirkei Avot:

"It is not study that is the main thing, but action."

Parashat Va'etchanan offers a direct answer to that challenge. Beyond its many famous themes—including Moshe's plea to enter the Land of Israel, the repetition of the Ten Commandments, the cities of refuge, and the declaration of Shema Yisrael—the parashah contains a quiet but powerful instruction:

"Do what is right and good in the eyes of Hashem."

It is a command that reaches far beyond any single mitzvah.

A Guiding Principle for Everyday Life

For thousands of years, philosophers have debated the meaning of "the good."

Aristotle opened his Nicomachean Ethics by observing that every action ultimately aims at some good. Centuries later, Baruch Spinoza also sought to define goodness, describing it as that which helps a person become the best version of themselves.

The Torah approaches the question differently.

Rather than offering an abstract philosophical definition, it calls upon every person to actively pursue what is right and good in daily life.

The Ramban explains that this verse serves as a broad moral principle.

The Torah cannot possibly list every situation a person will encounter or prescribe the correct response to every human interaction. After teaching many specific mitzvot governing relationships between people, it concludes with a general command: always strive to do what is right and good.

Sometimes the right choice requires compromise, generosity, or going beyond the strict letter of the law.

When Kindness Takes Priority

One example the Ramban points to is the law of bar metzra.

According to Jewish law, when someone sells a piece of land, the owner of the neighboring property is given the first opportunity to purchase it.

Why?

Because owning the adjoining field provides a unique benefit, and allowing the neighbor to buy it prevents unnecessary hardship.

Even if another buyer has already completed the purchase, the neighboring owner may, under certain circumstances, receive priority.

This law places fairness and consideration for another person's well-being above a purely financial transaction.

As the Gemara explains, it is an application of the Torah's command to "do what is right and good."

The Power of Our Environment

The Lubavitcher Rebbe explores a fascinating disagreement between Rashi and the Rambam regarding this law.

Rashi views the rule primarily as an ethical obligation placed upon the buyer.

The Rambam, however, sees something deeper. He understands that neighboring properties create a genuine relationship, giving the adjoining owner a unique connection to the land itself.

The Rebbe expands this idea beyond real estate.

Just as physical neighbors influence one another, so too do the people and environments that surround us shape our inner world.

Our conversations, friendships, media, and daily influences quietly mold our thinking, emotions, and choices.

In today's digital age, this lesson is more relevant than ever.

Every day we are surrounded by voices competing for our attention.

The "background music" of our lives—what we watch, read, hear, and discuss—gradually shapes who we become.

If we want to become people who see goodness and bring goodness into the world, we must choose environments that nurture those values.

Rabbi Kook's Vision of Goodness

Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook offers an inspiring perspective on this commandment.

He believed that goodness is woven into the very fabric of creation.

This was not naïve optimism.

Rabbi Kook lived through tremendous personal and national suffering, including the horrors of World War I. He understood the reality of evil.

Yet he believed that evil does not have the final word.

Viewed from the broadest perspective, all of history is moving toward redemption and goodness.

The world originates in goodness, is guided by goodness, and is ultimately destined for goodness.

That hopeful vision calls upon every person to become a partner in bringing more goodness into the world.

Choosing What Is Right and Good

Kierkegaard asked, "What am I to do?"

Parashat Va'etchanan gives an answer that is both simple and lifelong.

Do what is right.

Do what is good.

Sometimes that means following the law. Sometimes it means going beyond it.

Sometimes it means choosing compassion over convenience, generosity over self-interest, or surrounding ourselves with influences that inspire us to become better people.

In every generation, the challenge remains the same.

To transform knowledge into action, and to help elevate both ourselves and the world by choosing goodness, one decision at a time.