Hot answers tagged bein-adam-lachavero
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In Pirkei Avos 1:7:
יהושע בן פרחיה אומר, עשה לך רב, וקנה לך חבר יג, והוי דן את כל האדם לכף זכות.
Joshua the son of Perachia would say: Assume for yourself a master, acquire for yourself a friend, and judge every man to the side of merit.
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The first thing I would do in that situation is to try to provide the halachic options. For example, in setting up the lunch, I would order in some kosher food and set up a separate table for it, making sure it's well-labelled. This might be enough to entice the people who don't keep kosher to eat the kosher food, because they didn't have to make special ...
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See the Fall 2010 issue of Tradition, with the article entitled "A Marital Agreement to Mediate" by R. David Joseph Mescheloff and also the letters section of the Spring 2011 issue, with letters by R. Howard Jachter and the author. The dispute is whether R. Moshe Feinstein and R. Soloveitchik supported the use of prenuptial agreements (according to R. ...
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This is one of those areas where he really, really needs to be consulting his rabbi. As noted in the question, you can't just flip a switch and -- boom! -- you're observant; it's a process. But, per Avot 2:5, you also can't say "I'll do it later"; later may never come. Only your own rabbi can help you chart a path between these two extremes. (Which is ...
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In some cases (and this is accepted AFAIK in the final halachic analysis) a husband is not only allowed to beat his wife, but he must do so even to the point where she might die. An example of such a case is where the wife is attempting to kill someone else and this is the only way for the husband to stop her (see Rambam Positive Commandment #247). In fact ...
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R' Shneur Zalman of Liadi says in Chapter 32 of Tanya (colloquially called the "Lev" of Tanya - the heart of Tanya) that one can have true love of a fellow Jew only if he views his soul primary and his body secondary (since our souls have one root, so there is no cause for division, machlokes, etc.) Therefore,
The Alter Rebbe’s answer follows from his ...
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According to Rebbe Nachman of Breslev, not only are there no exceptions but it's specifically in the case of a rasha where being dan lechaf zechus is essential:
"Know that you must judge all people favorably. This applies even to
the worst of people. You must search until you find some little bit of
good in them. In that good place inside them, they ...
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Sarah's actions need not be righteous. First, this source is based on a Midrash. The simple text just states that Sarah oppressed Hagar without going into any detail. The goal of the Midrash could be to get you to view Hagar from a sympathetic point of view - it does not necessarily mean to justify the behavior. Secondly, the Ramban ad loc (secondary ...
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The Baal HaTurim on Shemot 23:5 breaks the verse down into separate commandments for a Jewish enemy and a non-Jewish enemy:
non-Jewish Enemy - "You shall refrain from helping him" (as a statement, not as a question, like Rashi interprets it)
Jewish Enemy - "You shall surely help him"
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I don't think it's really contradictory. One is on a national level, and one is on an individual level. If you find out someone is from 'Amalek and then kill him, you are guilty of murder. (I think so, anyway; I stand open to correction by the community.)
Secondly, the Mitzvah is to wipe out 'Amalek, particularly the memory of 'Amalek, not necessarily to ...
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I know of a mechanic that has many non religious workers. He has instituted that no one is allowed to bring his own lunch, and he supplies lunch daily for all his workers. In addition he has them wash and then Bentch together. (no one stands with a gun to their head, it is done and those that want to, participate)
I know this does not exactly answer your ...
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Radak gives two explanations: His own explanation is that since no one knew about the sin with Betshabe but G-d, he had only sinned to G-d, i.e. only G-d knew about it. Alternatively, he quotes Rabbi Saadiah Gaon that the verse means that to G-d alone he confessed his sin, even though he did sin to others.
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This question does not have an easy answer and it certainly depends upon which community you belong (e.g. Hasidic, Modern Orthodox, etc.). As an attorney and an officer of the court (in Pennsylavania and the District of Columbia), I have to first tell you that a witness to a crime has an on-going responsibility to report the crime. Failure to report could ...
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First of all, I can only mirror what people said before me: ask your LOR!!!
Halachically (please don't take it as a psak for this case) it is okay. In Hilchos Geirus a well known Haloche is cited: that a Ger has to take upon himself all Mitzwos at the moment of Geirus. One of the Meforshim (I would have to look up exactly which one it was) adds that a Tinok ...
2
Maimonides explains the scope rule in his commentary to Avot 1:6 as follows:
והוי דן את כל האדם לכף זכות - עניינו, שאם יהיה אדם שאינו ידוע לך, לא תדע האם צדיק הוא או רשע, ותראהו עושה מעשה או אומר דבר, שאם יפורש באופן מה הריהו טוב, ואם תפרשהו באופן אחר הרי הוא רע - פרשהו כטוב, ואל תחשוב בו רע. אבל אם היה איש ידוע שהוא צדיק, ומפורסם במעשי הטוב, ונראה לו ...
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The distinction is found in the Mishna (Yoma 8:9 (English)):
עברות שבין אדם למקום, יום הכפורים מכפר.
עברות שבין אדם לחברו כד, אין יום הכפורים מכפר, עד שירצה את חברו.
את זו דרש רבי אלעזר בן עזריה, (ויקרא טז) מכל חטאתיכם לפני יי תטהרו, עברות שבין אדם למקום, יום הכפורים מכפר. עברות שבין ...
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See Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 59,6. He says that if there isn't very much Tzar (pain) over the news, then one should say it, and if there is real Tzar, one would say it with Sheim Umalchus (mentioning God's name and reign). Having learned from a Talmid Chochom is not a prerequisite to saying the Beracha on his passing.
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How would you know that the responsible person would rectify the situation (and not someone else)?
See here which emphasizes the importance of not causing embarrassment.
It demonstrates the fine quality of taking the embarrassment instead of the culprit.
Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi (Rebbie) sensed a disturbing odor of garlic one
day while he was lecturing ...
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I think that it is fair to say that actually placing a physical stumbling block in front of blind people is not something that used to happen. If this had been a regular occurance, then the negative mitzvah not to do it would be interpreted as prohibiting a very specific action that the people might otherwise do. The next time they wanted to trip up someone ...
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Thirty two years ago I gathered material for an article I never brought myself to write. The RCA had not yet endorsed pre-nuptual agreements that require mandatory arbitration through a bais din and, in fact, were on the record opposing such agreements. In 1954, following the drafting of such an agreement by Conservative Rabbi Saul Lieberman, the RCA went ...
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In Yoreh Deah 151:4, the Rama quotes the Mordechai that it is permissible to sell objects of idol worship to a non-Jew if the non-Jew can obtain objects of idol worship through other means anyway. He also quotes a few other sources that disagree, though he writes that the practice is to be lenient. The Shach (s"k 6 and quoted in Beer Heitev s"k 5) writes ...
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