SAVE YOUR JUDGEMENT FOR YOURSELF
Shoftim

שֹׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ בְּכׇל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר ה‘ אֱלֹ-הֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ לִשְׁבָטֶ֑יךָ וְשָׁפְט֥וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם מִשְׁפַּט־צֶֽדֶק׃

"You shall place for yourself judges and policemen in all of your gates... and they shall judge the people righteous judgements"

In Pirkei Avos, our sages teachוֶהֱוֵי דָן אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם לְכַף זְכוּת. Even when we see someone who has acted wrongly or appears sinful and lowly, the Torah requires us to judge them favourably; giving them the benefit of the doubt and judging them in a positive light.

It was this quality that Shlomo Hamelech asked Hashem to endow him with at the beginning of his reign. Shlomo asked “Grant, Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people...” He asked for the love, empathy and compassion to judge the Jewish people with understanding; to be able to see their goodness and judge them favourably.

Whilst required of all people, this trait is absolutely vital for a leader to posses and is the path of the Tzaddikim and true leaders of the Jewish people.

In relation to themselves, Tzaddikim are self-critical. With humility, they see themselves as lowly and undeserving. They constantly evaluate their deeds and chastise their shortcomings, living as though under the scrutiny of judges and policemen.

But this critical eye is reserved only for evaluating themselves. When judging others, they are filled with love and see only the good.

This is alluded to in the teaching of Hillel; “That which is hateful to you, do not do to others”. Even though the Tzaddikim despise themselves, that which they despise themselves with self-criticism, they do not place on others, by judging them in the same way.

This is the inner message of the opening verse of the Parsha. The judges and policemen of criticism and judgement, you shall place ‘for yourself’. But when you judge the people, it should be a judgement of righteousness, to find the righteousness within them.