Parsha Mitzvot: Re’ei: Mitzvah 442 – Concept 571

“You shall seek out and investigate, and inquire well.” (Deuteronomy 13:15) We must carefully interrogate each witness. (Rambam, Hilchot Eidut – The Laws of Evidence)

A judge must be learned in the laws of the Torah and the ways of the world. If he is well-versed in Torah but unfamiliar with the world he will be unable to sense whether witnesses are being truthful and forthcoming or misleading. (Vilna Gaon)

We constantly must make judgement calls, whether we are listening to words of Torah or making a mundane decision. Torah demands that we carefully investigate before we make a decision, and that we do so through both the eyes of the Torah and a clear understanding of the world.