Rav Walk-in Quotes.mp3
Rav Aharon Walkin delivers a profound and inspiring shiur on the paramount importance of refraining from judgment. Drawing on the Gemara and Mishnayos, he emphasizes that true intelligence...
- Speaker or source
- chazaq Yeshivah
- Category
- Musar
- Subcategory
- Judging Others
- Duration
- 0:02:13
Topics
- Intelligent People Do Not Judge
- The Wisdom of Saying “I Do Not Know”
- Intellectual Humility
Transcript
## Intelligent People Do Not Judge
Intelligent people do not judge other people. This is not merely because judging someone is unkind. Certainly, an intelligent person should be refined, considerate, and above pettiness. But there is a deeper point: intelligence itself dictates that a person should be exceedingly cautious before forming a judgment about someone else, because he does not truly know.
## The Wisdom of Saying “I Do Not Know”
A person barely understands everything taking place within his own mind and heart. How, then, can he imagine that he fully understands what another person is thinking? It is impossible. The Gemara therefore teaches, “Train your tongue to say: I do not know” (Berachos 4a). Sometimes the most intelligent and truthful answer is simply: I do not know.
What do I really know about another person? I may see what he did, but I do not know all the circumstances surrounding the action. I do not know what he is enduring, what pressures he is facing, what he intended, or what the complete story may be.
The Mishnah teaches: “Do not judge your fellow until you have reached his place” (Avos 2:4). Until you stand where he stands and experience what he experiences, you cannot evaluate him honestly. And in truth, a person can never completely enter another person’s place.
## Intellectual Humility
The assumption that we know the entire story is itself a failure of intelligence. A thoughtful person understands how much remains hidden from him. He recognizes the limits of his knowledge and does not rush to conclusions.
Leave judgment alone. You do not know—and that is enough. Move forward without condemning another person. This is a pearl of wisdom for life.