"HELP"

"I can't believe it - this guy is elbowing his way through shul. Bad enough on a regular day, but on Rosh Hashanah! Look, he's actually pushing people out of his way to get to his seat. Okay, it is jammed and he's late - but he should have gotten here on time if davening with everyone is so important to him. It's a perfect example of "mitzva haba'a beaveira" (a mitzvah done by means of a wrongdoing). It's amazing how the people he's shoved out of the way just ignore him and continue praying - what concentration they have! At last he's at his place. I see him reaching into his book-and-tallis compartment and taking out ... an EMT box! He's an emergency medical technician, a Hatzalah volunteer, and he's rushing to his seat to get his box of medical equipment!"

Judaism teaches that people are innocent until proven guilty. If you assume that others are acting with the best of intentions, you will often find that you are absolutely right.

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Were you in a situation where there was the potential to misjudge a person, but there really was a valid explanation? Has a friend or a relative ever told you how they were in such a situation?

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