Rabbi Ya’aqob Menashe, founder and spiritual leader of Midrash Ben Ish Hai gave his annual Nine Days lecture through Midrash Ben Ish Hai, in conjunction with Chazaq. Speaking at Colbeh, Great Neck, to a large crowd, hailing from Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Five Towns, Great Neck and Queens, Rabbi Menashe spoke about the importance of Judging others favorably, and explained how this topic is extremely relevant during the days leading to Tisha Be’Ab. Rabbi Menashe spoke about how we often miss pivotal parts of a story, and because we jump to conclusions, we may view others in a negative light, even when they are not deserving of such judgment. It is by examining the different perspectives that we can judge people favorably. Indeed, more often than not, we do not know the full story even when we feel confident that we do.
As an example of how we can be absolutely certain about a situation, only to find later that we were completely wrong, Rabbi Menashe told a story about a woman, whose expensive ring, a family heirloom. The only person who could have taken it, and was seen going into the room right after the woman took it off, is the family’s housekeeper. When asked if she saw the ring, the housekeeper reports that she has not. The ring did not turn up, and the woman always assumed that her housekeeper took the ring. Years later this woman learned that her husband stole the ring and sold it, to pay for a gambling addiction that they were unaware that he had. This story, and many others, enthralled the audience at Rabbi Ya’aqob Menashe’s latest lecture, Walk a Mile in My Shoes.
The lecture was thought provoking, inspiring and entertaining. Participants left with a renewed commitment to try to see the good in others, which leads to increased love between all the Jewish people, something so important at this time of year. A lively question and answer session at the end of the lecture examined how to balance judging others favorably with employing a healthy amount of skepticism and self-protection. Attendees spoke about how they felt that they would go into Tish’a Be’Ab inspired to work on this important area.
For more information on Chazaq, visit Chazaq.org. To learn more about Midrash Ben Ish Hai visit Midrash.org. To access Rabbi Menash e’s videos visit nonstopTorah.com. For a daily Torah Minute, visit ATorahMinute.com.
Ben Ish Hai And Chazaq Host Rabbi Ya’aqob Menashe
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