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‘Thou Shalt Not Be Judgmental’

A Torah scroll. Photo: RabbiSacks.org.

JNS.orgSome years ago, I heard Rabbi Manis Friedman tell a story about a man who overheard his friend telling his wife on the phone, “Drop dead!”

“How can you speak that way to your wife?!” he demanded. The friend smiled and said, “She just asked me if her new dress was gorgeous, and I answered, ‘Yes, drop-dead.’”

Hearing only half a conversation and drawing conclusions can be dangerous. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard stories about others that I didn’t want to believe; and indeed, upon investigation, they turned out to be either significant distortions or complete fabrications. I’m sure we’ve all had similar experiences.

In the portion of Kedoshim, we read the words, Betzedek tishpot amitecha, “You shall judge your fellow with righteousness.”

Rashi, the foremost Biblical commentator, provides the simple analysis: Judges must rule righteously, without being swayed by any other considerations. In fact, the full title of a beth din, a Jewish court, is not only beth din, a “house of law,” but beth din tzedek, a “house of just law.” The law must be just, fair and objective; otherwise, the court itself is not doing justice.

But then Rashi adds a second interpretation, relevant not only for the judiciary but for all of us: “Another explanation is: Judge your fellow favorably”—i.e., give the benefit of the doubt.

The moral imperative to judge people favorably by giving them the benefit of the doubt is discussed in the Talmud, Ethics of the Fathers and many other Jewish sources.

I wondered what the connection might be to Kedoshim, a Torah portion dealing with the overall directive to be holy. It occurred to me that perhaps it might be because all of us are holy; but too often, people are misjudged and condemned before we have all the facts at our disposal. There are so many stories expressing this theme that we could go on forever, but let me share a few.

My friend and colleague Rabbi Mendel Lipskar tells the story of his early days in Johannesburg in the 1970s. He was a young, new rabbi in a synagogue frequented mainly by older people who were rather set in their ways.

At some point during his first Yom Kippur there, a young man walked into the shul looking very out of place. He was wearing jeans and sandals, sporting long, frizzy hair—the consummate hippie.

Rabbi Lipskar asked the gabbai to give the unexpected visitor the honor of opening the Holy Ark during the service. The gabbai was horrified. Who was this young man who was dressed so inappropriately? To give him such an honor was, to his mind, unthinkable.

But the rabbi insisted and the gabbai acceded, albeit most reluctantly. To make a long story short, that experience on Yom Kippur was the beginning of a spiritual journey for the young visitor. Today, the former hippie is a respected sofer (ritual scribe) in a large American city.

My son Michoel is the Chabad shaliach in Kauai, the lushest of the Hawaiian Islands. Not infrequently, sunbathers come into the shul straight off the beach and need to be given not only a tallit but robes or clothes as well. But the important thing is that they are always welcome.

I recently came across a letter from someone who complained to the Rebbe about a fellow who had been called into shul as the 10th man to help make the minyan. The complainant was outraged that the man sat in the back of the sanctuary reading the newspaper throughout the service.

The Rebbe suggested that he should appreciate how special it is that even a Jew who obviously cannot read Hebrew or participate in the service still comes in and gives up his time to help make the minyan.

It’s all about perspective and giving people the benefit of the doubt.

More than 200 years ago, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev became famous for the lengths that he went to consider others favorably. Of the many stories that highlight his benevolent, non-judgmental attitude, one of my favorites is of his encounter with a young man outside shul on the holiest day of Yom Kippur. This strapping young man was eating publicly, in brazen violation of the fast.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak said, “I’m sorry to see that you’re obviously not feeling well and you had to break your fast. I wish you better.”

“I’m fine, rabbi. I couldn’t be healthier,” replied the young man.

“Well then, perhaps you forgot that today is Yom Kippur?”

“Who doesn’t know that today is Yom Kippur, rabbi?”

“And are you also aware that Yom Kippur is a fast day, and we are not permitted to eat today?”

“Of course, I know! Which Jew doesn’t know that, rabbi?”

Hearing this, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak looked heavenward and exclaimed, “Master of the Universe, see how righteous are your people, Israel. I have given this young man so many opportunities, but he absolutely refuses to tell a lie!”

All are innately holy, but how we judge them may make all the difference. I know it’s not easy, but if we look at others favorably, then we ourselves will be behaving in a holy way, and this will bring out that innate holiness inside them.

Moreover, our rabbis taught: One who judges his friend favorably will himself be judged by God favorably.

With acknowledgment to Chabad.org.

The post ‘Thou Shalt Not Be Judgmental’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Trump Announces India and Pakistan ‘Agreed to a Full and Immediate Ceasefire’

US President Donald Trump attends the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, April 21, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis

i24 NewsUS President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that India and Pakistan had agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire. “Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence,” he posted on social media. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed the ceasefire, saying Saudi Arabia and Turkey also played an important role in facilitating the deal.

The ceasefire follows weeks of clashes and cross-border missile and drone strikes triggered by a gun massacre of Indian tourists last month.

New Delhi has blamed jihadists from the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-designated terrorist organization. Pakistan denies the charge.

Dozens of civilians have been killed on both sides.

The post Trump Announces India and Pakistan ‘Agreed to a Full and Immediate Ceasefire’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Latest Columbia Scandal Sees Over 65 Students Suspended, Including Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Daughter

Pro-Palestinian protesters are detained by NYPD after taking part in a demonstration at Butler Library on the Columbia University campus in New York, U.S., May 7, 2025. REUTERS/Dana Edwards

i24 NewsIn the latest antisemitism scandal at the prestigious New York institution, Columbia University suspended dozens of students and barred from campus alumni and others who took part in a chaotic and violent anti-Israel incident inside the school’s main library earlier in the week.

On May 7, the mask-clad mob forced its way into the library, injuring two public safety officers in the process. Once inside, they vandalized property, adorning the premises with Palestinian flags, scrawling “Columbia will burn” on a glass case, and declaring the library a “liberated zone.”

Some 75 protesters were arrested after refusing to comply with police directives, including Ramona Sarsgaard, daughter of Hollywood A-lister Maggie Gyllenhaal and actor Peter Sarsgaard.

The Ivy League university in Manhattan declined to say how long the disciplinary measures would be in place, saying only that the decisions are pending further investigation.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said his office will review the visa status of those who participated in the library takeover for possible deportation.

The post Latest Columbia Scandal Sees Over 65 Students Suspended, Including Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Daughter first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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US, Iran to Hold 4th Round of Nuclear Talks on Eve of Trump’s Gulf Tour

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on before a meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 26, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

i24 NewsThe United States and Iran will hold a fourth round of nuclear talks Sunday in Oman, officials said, just ahead of a visit to the region by President Donald Trump.

Trump, who will visit three other Gulf Arab monarchies next week, has voiced hope for reaching a deal with Tehran to curb its nuclear program that would avert an Israeli military strike on Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities that could ignite a wider war. He has refused, however, to rule out military action in the event the talks come to naught.

Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said that Oman, the mediator in the talks, had proposed Sunday as the date and both sides accepted it.

“Negotiations are moving ahead and naturally, the more we advance, the more consultations we have, and the more time the delegations need to examine the issues,” he was quoted as saying by regime media. “But what’s important is that we are moving forward so that we gradually get into the details.”

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s personal friend serving as his globe-trotting negotiator, will take part in the talks.

American and Iranian representatives voiced optimism after the previous talks that took place in Oman and Rome, saying there was a friendly atmosphere despite the two countries’ decades of enmity.

However the two sides are not believed to have thrashed out the all-important technical details, and basic questions remain.

The post US, Iran to Hold 4th Round of Nuclear Talks on Eve of Trump’s Gulf Tour first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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