LEARNING HOW TO JUDGE OUR FELLOWS
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Dear Family,
I hope that everyone is well.
Wishing Yechezkiel Ben Ester a refuah shleimah!
Mazal Tov to Pesach for his birthday next week. Wishing you a year of continued success in everything that you do Pesach and to find also new rewarding projects, all with much joy!
Mazal Tov to Dovi Levy for his birthday which is also next week. I hope that all is going well in NY Dovi. Wishing you a year of continued success with all that you are doing, in both gashmius and ruchnius with much simchah!
In this week's Pirkei Avot (1:6) Yehoshua ben Perachya says ".....and judge everyone (kol adam) in a meritorious manner."
I saw an interesting article in Living Jewish where it pointed out different aspects of the above Mishna:
• The Frierdike Rebbe said that the current times demand strengthening of the Mitzvah of having love for every single Jew: 'One must judge every Jew favourably, there must not be division. This does not mean that one should never rebuke another, but rather that it must be done in a way of closeness, without piercing or harming.'
• When one judges another, then in the future it will be said to him:
'According to the very judgement that you passed, so shall it be done to you.'
• The Rebbe reveals an even deeper layer: 'When a person judges another Jew favourably, they help that Jew to overcome their struggles..they uncover and awaken the merit within that person - their pure and lofty inner strengths, which in turn empowers them to withstand their trials. Eventually that person's negative traits will fall away...'
• The Friederike Rebbe said: 'When a person judges another, whether in public or in his heart, he has to, as far as is possible, to try and take into account their circumstances and environment, and deeply consider the reasons that brought this person to live their life as they do. Only when he places himself in the other's situation, and lives their challenge, and fully considers all these factors, only then can the judgement be true.'
(And in another explanation that I saw, the word used in the Pirkei Avot Mishna above is kol adam. The simple meaning is 'every person'. But the Hebrew word kol also means 'the whole' person. Ie before we judge someone we should know everything about that person)
Learning to live this way brings a happier and more effective life BEH
I am attaching a related interesting story from the Gemara, to do with this subject, for those who have the time to read it.
Gut Shabbos to all
Attached to this letter
“Penniless Employer? - Judging Others” (Word document)
Penniless Employer?
The Talmud relates this story: (Shabbos p127b)
Once a man went from the Upper Galilee (in northern Israel) to work for an employer in the south for three years.
On the eve of Yom Kippur of the third year, he said to his employer, "Give me my wages, and I will go home and support my wife and my children."
The employer said to him, "I do not have any money to pay you."
"Give me fruit instead," said the worker.
"I have no fruit," answered the employer.
"Give me land," said the worker.
"I do not have any land," answered the employer.
"Give me animals," said the worker.
"I do not have any animals," answered the employer.
"Give me quilts and pillows," said the worker.
"I do not have any quilts and pillows," answered the employer.
The worker packed his bags and went home, disappointed.
After the holiday, the employer travelled to the worker's home with the man's wages and with three donkeys. One was laden with food, the second with drinks, and the third with delicacies.
When he arrived, after they had eaten and drunk together, the employer gave the worker his wages and all the other gifts, and said to him, "When you asked me for your wages, and I told you that I did not have any money, did you think that was the truth?"
"I thought," answered the worker, "that you had obtained merchandise at a bargain price, and had spent all your money."
The employer said to him, "When you asked me for animals, and I told you that I did not have any animals, what did you think was the truth?"
"I thought," answered the worker, "that they were rented out to others."
The employer said to him, "When you asked me for land, and I told you that I did not have any land, what did you think was the truth?"
"I thought, “answered the worker, "that the land also was rented out to others."
The employer said to him, "When you asked me for fruit, and I told you that I did not have any fruit, what did you think was the truth?"
"I thought," answered the worker, "that the fruit had not yet been tithed."
The employer said to him, "And after you asked me for quilts and pillows, and I told you that I did not have any, what did you think was the truth?"
"I thought," answered the worker, "that you had given away all Your Possessions to the Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple) by making a vow of hekdesh [pledge to the Temple]."
The employer said, "I swear to you that that is exactly what happened. I had promised away all of my possessions to the Holy Temple because of Hurkanos, my son, who did not wish to learn Torah [and I did not want him to be my heir]. And when I came to my friends in the south, they annulled my vows.
“Just as you judged me favourably, so may G-d judge you favourably." (It is said by some that this employee was Rabbi Akiva )