>> Torah portion
Tamarack
Camps
111TH YEAR CELEBRATION
"HARDCORE" AUCTION
SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013
6:30 p. m.
Berman Center for the Performing Arts
Before Judging Others,
Stand In Their Shoes
Jewish Community Center / D. Dan and Betty Kahn Building
Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus
6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield
Special Tribute to
Parshat Achrei Mot-Kedoshim:
Leviticus 16:1-20:27; Amos 9:7-9:15.
D
o you have to be naive to
judge others favorably?
The Talmud (Shabbat
127b) records a story where Akiva,
before devoting himself to study and
becoming one of the most
renowned scholars, worked
for a landowner in the
south of Israel. For three
years straight, Akiva faith-
fully slaved away to earn
some meager wages, which
he desperately needed to
support his impoverished
family.
Finally, Akiva requests
his amassed wages and
permission to return home.
His employer claims that
he has nothing to give him.
Dispirited, Akiva simply gathers his
few belongings and returns home,
penniless.
Weeks later, the landowner travels
to visit Akiva; bearing gifts, delicacies
and the wages he owes him. He asks
Akiva, "When I said I had nothing to
give you, what did you suspect me of?"
Akiva responds, "I simply assumed
you must have dedicated your vast
wealth to the Holy Temple:'
The landowner replies, "That is
exactly what happened!" His son had
severely disappointed him and he
therefore consecrated everything he
owned to the Temple, stripping his
son of any inheritance. Since then,
however, he had made peace with his
son and had been granted a rabbinic
release from his vow.
Akiva, a man of sterling character,
was able to accurately judge his employ-
er when he offered him the benefit of
the doubt. In the face of the wealth that
he personally witnessed around him, he
trusted the landowner when he claimed
that he had nothing. His employer had
a track record of integrity; and against
all odds, Akiva assessed the situation
within that context.
When it comes to ourselves, we
employ every possible justification to
defend any ambiguous action on our
part. However, for the sake of another,
we often fail to grant those very same
arguments. It is incumbent
upon us to constantly keep
in mind the entire person
and his history and reveal
that the current offensive
behavior is, in fact, out of
character.
Even when running into
a stranger who is snappy
or rude, he is most often
simply having a bad day.
Though that is no excuse
to suspend being a mentsh,
it is also by no means a
pre-meditated agenda to be
hurtful. People are complex, and where
deep down, the average person wants
to be good, there are many layers,
creating different tensions that disrupt
its application. We are all misguided in
one way or another.
Judging favorably is to recognize
the complex nature of humans and dig
below the surface.
The greater Jewish community
would benefit greatly from a little
shared favorable judgment. We live in
an era of sound bites and headlines. As
the media outlets battle for our atten-
tion, news is delivered in the most
superficial and flashy form, offering
only a sampling of every story. We
cannot allow that shallow reading style
to affect our relationships. Bridges can
be built if we all make the effort to
delve a little deeper into each other's
motives.
The Almighty has gifted us with cre-
ative minds. We can and must harness
that creativity to explore what is, likely,
the more accurate assessment of those
around us.
NATALIE & MANNY CHARACH
THE RAVITZ FOUNDATION
'NOS EV
A KID T
TA MA RA
"HARDCORE" LIVE AUCTION
— hosted by —
Les, Seth & Ashley Gold
Tamarack alumni and television
personalities from
tru©
Check out auction items at
www.tamarackcamps.com/auction
Including special performances
from our Tamarack Family
A gift to
the "Send a Kid to Tamarack" Annual Campaign helps
ensure that no child is denied a Jewish camping experience.
Your gift changes lives!
For more information and RSVP
tamarackcamps.com/SK2T, 248 647-1100
❑
Platinum Sponsors
Chanoch Hadar is rabbi at the Woodward
Avenue Shul in Royal Oak.
kJ.
1114io
Serta
ACCREDITED
Supported btr
ThJewish Federation
OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT
JN
1803290
April 18 • 2013
55