Judging Others 

שיפוט אחרים

One should view the actions of others in the most favorable light and not be too hasty in judging them. If we treat others in this manner, God will treat us in the same way.  

One should judge every person favorably. 

Do not judge another until you have arrived in his place.<footnote data-num="191"/>

The Sages taught: One who judges another favorably is himself judged favorably. There was an incident involving a certain person who came down from the Upper Galilee and was hired by a landlord in the south to work for three years. On the eve of the Day of Atonement, he said to his employer: Give me my wages, and I will go and feed my wife and children. His employer told him: I have no money. The worker said to him: In that case, give me my wages in the form of produce. His employer told him: I have none. The worker said to him: Give me land. His employer told him: I have none. The worker said to him: Give me animals. His employer told him: I have none. The worker said to him: Give me cushions and blankets. His employer told him: I have none. The worker slung his tools over his shoulder behind him and went home in anguish.  

After the festival of Sukkot, the employer took the worker’s wages in his hand, along with three donkeys, one laden with food, one with drink, and one with all types of sweets, and he went to the worker’s home. After they ate and drank, the employer gave him his wages and said to him: When you said to me: Give me my wages, and I said: I have no money, of what did you suspect me? The worker answered: I said: Perhaps the opportunity to purchase merchandise at a cheap price presented itself, and you purchased it with the money that you owed me. The employer asked: And when you said to me: Give me animals, and I said: I have no animals, of what did you suspect me? The worker answered: I said: Perhaps the animals are rented to others. The employer asked: When you said to me: Give me land, and I said: I have no land, of what did you suspect me? The worker answered: I said: Perhaps the land is leased to others.<footnote data-num="192"/> The employer asked: And when I said: I have no produce, of what did you suspect me? The worker replied: I said: Perhaps they are not tithed.<footnote data-num="193"/> Finally, the employer asked: And when I said: I have no cushions or blankets, of what did you suspect me? The worker answered: I said: Perhaps he consecrated all his property to Heaven.<footnote data-num="194"/>

The employer said to him: I take an oath by the Temple service that you were correct. I had vowed and consecrated all my property on account of Hyrcanus, my son, as he would not engage in Torah study.<footnote data-num="195"/> And when I came to the Sages in the South, they annulled all my vows for me. And you, just as you judged me favorably, so may God judge you favorably. <source>(Mishna Avot 1:6, 1:2; Shabbat 127b) </source>