BackA Divine Recipe for More Harmony
By: Rabbi Barak Bar-Chaim
“…with Justice You Shall Judge Your Counterpart.” (Leviticus 19, 15)
The Talmud (Shevuot 31a) gleans two teachings from this verse. 1) Judges are obligated to show equal treatment to all litigants in a case. All litigants must be given equal time to present their arguments, and the judges must show no favoritism in word, mannerism, or action. 2) Every person has an obligation to judge other people favorably.
When one sees a person behaving in a way that could be interpreted both as positive and negative, one is obligated to judge the person favorably and assume that the person is behaving appropriately. The same is true when analyzing a person’s intentions. One should not assume that the person’s intentions are sinister but, rather, judge the person favorably. While this is indeed the beautiful way of living that the Torah prescribes, if a person’s actions or intentions may be a warning sign for potential harm that the person may want to cause to oneself or others, every protective precaution should be taken. Judging favorably simply means that we give the benefit of the doubt and assume that the person is behaving appropriately. This does not negate the possibility that we may be wrong; Therefore, we must stay on guard when it comes to concerning behavior.
The Mitzvah of judging people favorably is particularly important when it comes to relationships. Based on the actions, words, tone, or body language of a person, we may make assumptions about their intentions (which we may later realize are incorrect, faulty assumptions). The mitzvah of judging people favorably demands us to keep in mind that assumptions are simply that, assumptions. When our minds jump to the conclusion that others have sinister intentions, the Torah commands us to be aware that these are just assumptions and to judge others favorably. When one is struggling with this, under some circumstances it may be good to approach the person in a non-confrontational way to clarify their intentions behind a particular action or statement that is troubling.
The practice of judging others favorably will make us loftier human beings and lead to more harmonious relationships. Let us use this Divine Commandment to better our lives and the lives of those around us!