What does “the first to plead his case seems right” mean?

Rabbi Landau explains Shlomo HaMelech's words, “Tzaddik harishon berivo, uva re'eihu vachakaro”: the first person presenting his case seems right, until the other comes and examines him. The first case always sounds convincing, because nobody has tested it yet.

He shows how sharp this has become. Ask AI why one side is wrong and you get twenty pages; ask why the other side is wrong and you get twenty more, “and both are right.” Whichever case you hear first sounds complete, until the second one arrives.

“Shlomo Hamelech didn't write that about AI,” Rabbi Landau says. “He wrote it about us thousands of years ago.” The verse is a warning about human reasoning itself: a well-built case shows that someone is committed to a conclusion, not that the conclusion is true. Intelligence can defend almost anything; wisdom is knowing whether you are actually looking for truth.

Going deeper: Rabbi Landau's teaching, level by level

Surface claim

The first case always sounds convincing until another side examines it.

What may be behind it

If AI can argue both sides with equal brilliance, Rabbi Landau says, maybe humans always could too; arguments show commitment, not proof.

Deepest human truth

Shlomo HaMelech wrote this about us. Wisdom is knowing when you are truly looking for truth.

More questions from this teaching

• Does a brilliant argument prove that a conclusion is true?