אנכי אשר האלה הדברים כל את ושמעת שמר” כי עולם עד אחריך ולבניך לך ייטב למען מצוך (כח יב) “אלקיך ‘ה בעיני והישר הטוב תעשה
Rashi explains (based on Sifri 12:45) that the double term “hatov vehayashar” teaches us that a person should conduct himself in a way that is good in the eyes of Hashem and at the same time, upstanding in the eyes of people.
The Rebbe Harav Shaul Yedidya Elazar of Modzhitz said:
The secret of the existence of the Jew is that he is good for Shamayim and upstanding and honest with other people, and both of these behaviors are based on the middos of emes and emunah. The emunah in Hashem is the fundamental of the connection between a person and his Creator, and the middah of emes is the fundamental of honest relationships between people. In fact, “הטוב והישר” is numerically ”.אמת ואמונה“ equivalent to.
This is why we say in Maariv “emes ve’emunah kol zos vekayam aleinu,” – emes v’emunah are the kol zos – the basis of everything, through which a person becomes good for Shamayim and honest to others, and both these middos are “vekayam aleinu” – the secret of the existence of Am Yisrael.
Imrei Shaul, Inyanei Succos 24
