Can You Be Right and Still Fail to Be Good? | 10@9 | 2026.08.05

One verse tells us to do what is right and good. A few chapters later, the Torah tells us to do what is good and right. Is that just a change in wording, or is it teaching us something essential about the kind of people God wants us to become? Rashi offers two very different explanations for the relationship between "right" and "good." At first, they seem almost impossible to reconcile. Then Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch shows how they fit together into a profound vision of Jewish character - one that demands more than simply following the rules. A humorous sign on a receptionist's desk illustrates the difference between being right and being good. A remarkable story about Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach shows what it looks like to live that ideal. Can you be right and still fail to be good? This week's parsha gives a surprising answer. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.