We Do Not Have To Judge One Another

 

To judge is “to form an opinion or conclusion about.” Straightforward, right? We need to form opinions and draw conclusions in order to make sense of our world. We do this every day.

And yet, when I think of the word, there is an implied negativity. In particular, people often judge one another. We judge one another based on appearance, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, abilities (or lack of abilities) and we often cast aside those who look, act or speak differently than we do. We are judging others when we make assumptions about them.

From Pirkei Avot we learn, “Do not judge your fellow until you have stood in his [her] place.” Much easier said than done for so many.

“When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.” ~ Wayne Dyer 

Judging one another may be our default, but it doesn’t have to be.

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This post is a part of the month-long series #BlogElul. The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation...