Judge Your Fellow with Righteousness
Question
Does the mitzvah of “with righteousness shall you judge” require one to judge favorably in the strongest possible way, or is it enough to incline toward a favorable judgment?
For example, if a friend said something that caused him distress, is it enough for him to think in his heart, “This person’s way is not to think so much before he speaks,” which still leaves a somewhat negative element here, or must he judge him completely favorably and think in his heart, “Apparently I did not understand his intention”?
For example, if a friend said something that caused him distress, is it enough for him to think in his heart, “This person’s way is not to think so much before he speaks,” which still leaves a somewhat negative element here, or must he judge him completely favorably and think in his heart, “Apparently I did not understand his intention”?
Answer
Shalom and blessings.
It seems that everything depends on the circumstances: if it is possible to judge that the action was truly good and proper, one should think that way.
And if it is clear that he did something improper, one should judge that he made a mistake, or did not act thoughtfully; this too is included in the mitzvah.
As the Chafetz Chaim wrote (Shemirat HaLashon, Part 2, Chapter 17): One must search for a merit on his behalf: perhaps he spoke or did this thing inadvertently, or he did not know that this matter is forbidden to do or to say, or perhaps he has already regretted this matter.
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