Page 13 - Mizrachi-RZC Sefer Berachot 5782

Before You Judge
Mrs. Beth Pogonitz
Tanach teacher, Ida Crown Jewish Academy

There is a famous story about an Israeli bus that is packed with
passengers. An old woman is standing, and she notices a teenage
girl who is sitting. She starts discussing the girl’s lack of derech
eretz with other passengers, and they all agree: “There’s no respect.”
Still, the girl remains sitting and stares straight ahead. When the bus
arrives at its stop, the girl’s mother comes to help her out of the seat
- and into her wheelchair, to the surprise and embarrassment of
those who had been talking. Even if this woman’s conclusions had
been justified, what benefit was there to discussing it with everyone
around her? As the Maggid of Mezritch once said: Eagerness is a
precious value for all of man's body parts...except for the mouth and
the tongue.
Zevachim 88b discusses the possibility of atonement for lashon
hara. One opinion is that the bells on the bottom of the kohein
gadol’s meil bring kappara: That which makes a sound should bring
atonement for the bad sound. The other opinion is that ketoret, the
incense offering, should bring kappara: Let the offering which is
brought privately atone for the action which is done privately. Sefer
HaChinuch explains that HaShem gave us the command against
rechilut, which leads to anger and fighting, in order that there will
be peace among us, so it makes sense that both forms of atonement
in the gemara come via the kohein gadol, since he is the model of
loving peace and actively pursuing it among the Jewish people.
Kli Yakar on Shemot 19:2 teaches that Bnei Yisrael are only worthy
to receive the Torah when they remove the division among
themselves and make peace with each other. This is why there are
two luchot instead of one - it is only when they are together that
they are complete. The Baal Shem Tov writes that whoever judges
his fellow, whether for the good or the bad, simultaneously reveals
his own sentence. When we judge others for the good, we will be
judged for good. When we judge others for bad, though, it will come
back to us. Let us begin this season of teshuva by giving the benefit
of the doubt and treating each other with empathy, and please God
we will merit all of His blessings.