B"H
Tuesday, Sivan 15, 5779 / June 18, 2019
Each Shabbat, during the summer months, we recite a chapter of the Pirkei Avot - Chapters of our Fathers, or sometimes called, “Ethics of our Fathers.
One of the teachings of the Talmudic sage, Hillel The Elder, in the second chapter of Pirkei Avot, , is, “Do not judge your fellow until you come to his place.”
In other words, if you see someone doing something which in your eyes seems wrong do not judge them, unless you are in their place, in their position and have experienced what they experience.
Often we judge others negatively, without giving any thought as to why they acted that way. It is only when we find ourselves in their position that we can see that perhaps it wasn’t their fault, as we originally thought.
A man came to the doctor and complained that his wife is hard of hearing.
“How do you know she has a hearing problem?” asked the doctor.
“I talk to her many times during the day, but she doesn’t answer. For sure she cannot hear, but she won’t go see a doctor,” he replied.
The doctor thought for a while and said, “I want you to conduct the following test. First ask her something from across the room. If she doesn’t reply, get a few feet closer and ask her again. Get closer and closer to her, a few feet each time, this way I will be able to gauge how bad her hearing problem is.”
The next day the man asks his wife from across the room, “What’s for supper tonight?” No answer. He walks a few feet closer to her, “My dear, what’s for supper?” No answer. He goes another few feet forward and asks the same question. No reply. Finally he gets within a few feet from her and screams, “What’s for supper?”
She yells back at him, “What’s with your hearing. For the seventh time! I told you chicken and potatoes!!!”
Too many times, we see faults in others and judge them negatively, when the faults may in fact be with us!
Hillel the Elder teaches us, “Do not judge your fellow until you come to his place.” Get close to him. Get into his shoes and you may see things very differently. You may realize that the negativity you saw is not as bad as you thought, taking into account the person’s background or the conditions which he has to endure.
Or you may even see that the fact that you perceived him or her in a negative light may actually be a result of something lacking within yourself, as the story above illustrates.
Rabbi Nachman of Breslav explains the saying of Hillel this way: G-d is called “Hamakom” (“the place”). Here the word “Limekomo” (Do not judge your fellow until you come to His place), means, G-d’s place. Hillel teaches us that unless we see things as G-d sees them, we cannot judge others. G-d sees the past, present and future, we cannot pass judgment on someone else, because we do not see the full picture.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY