In the poetry of the Tanakh and the prophets, doubling is never accidental. It is a device of urgency, a dramatic admonishment that ordinary speech cannot contain. When the prophet Deborah calls, “Arise, arise, Devorah!” (Judges 5:12), the doubled command is a summons to courage. One arise, seemingly, would not rouse the spirit, but twice shakes the soul awake, compelling Devorah to lead.
Likewise, in a moment of great tension, knife raised, Isaac’s life in the balance, the silence is shattered as the angel of God calls out, “Avraham, Avraham” (Genesis 22:11). The repetition stills the knife, just in time.
This poetic doubling is never mere emphasis; it is a drumbeat, the inescapable heartbeat of the prophetic voice. So the Torah’s command resounds: “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof” — Justice! Justice you shall pursue! (Deuteronomy 16:20). Not tomorrow, not next week, not when it is convenient, but now, and in every now to come.
Justice! Once, it might be ignored, perhaps even misheard. But twice?!? There should be no doubt that the pursuit of justice must “roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24).