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Man's Advantage over G-d

By A. Stern

People are flawed, prone to mistake, and are creatures that are subject to err; G-d, on the other hand, does not make mistakes. We generally wish that we would make less mistakes and yet it is just this characteristic of man that gives him one up on his Creator. How so?

There are two non-related stories that are in the Talmud that conflict - but it is from this very conflict that can bring us a better understanding of a deeper aspect of life.

The first story which appears in the tractate Shabbat (127b) tells us a story about a man who lived in the upper Galilee. He went to work for three long years by a man who lived in the South. It was the day before Yom Kippur and the man went to his employee and asked to be paid for his three years of work that he may go back to his wife and children and support them properly.

He requested that the employer pay him but the employer said that he had no money. “Well then give me my pay in fruits.”

The employer told him, “I do not have any.”

“Alright, then give me my pay in land.”

The employer told him, “I do not have any.”

“Then give me my pay in animals.”

The employer told him, “I do not have any.”

“Well then give me my pay in house wares, like blankets and pillows.”

The employer told him, “I do not have any.”

The laborer hearing that there would be nothing to show for his three year stint, packed up his meager possessions and put them in a sack and went off to his family disappointed. After the conclusion of the Succot holiday (about two weeks later) the employer appeared at the home of the laborer with the owed wages plus three mules, one with food, one with drink and one with delicacies. The employer then asked the laborer, “what did you think when you asked for your wages and I told you that I had no money?”

“I thought that you found some investment and put all of your cash into it.”

“And when you asked for animals instead and I said that I had none, what did you think?”

“Maybe they were rented out to another person.”

“And when you asked for land and I said that I had none, what did you think?”

“Perhaps your lands were given to a tenant farmer (who only pays after his harvest).”

“And when you asked for fruits and I said that I had none, what did you think?”

“Perhaps the proper tithes were not taken.”

“And when you asked for pillows and blankets and I said that I had none, what did you think?”

“Maybe you donated them to the Holy Temple (meaning that they are to be sold and the money is given in their place) .”

“Exactly! I had given them to the Temple since my son was not interested in learning Torah, but now I have spoken to my friends (the rabbis) and they have repealed my vow. And just as you have judged me in a favorable light, my it be that G-d shall judge you also in a favorable light.”

The above story is well known and very interesting, illustrating the positive merit of judging your fellow Jew in a favorable light. But what is not clear is the ending: “And just as you have judged me in a favorable light, my it be that G-d shall judge you also in a favorable light.”

We can understand man judging another man in a favorable light since we do not see inside the man, we can not see his intentions, we can not tell if he is truthful or lying, so we can judge him either with favor or without favor; we can accept him at face value or think that he is a scoundrel. But G-d does not have our problem of lack of seeing the inside of a person's motives; G-d sees into a person's essence and into his soul. G-d knows if a person is lying or telling the truth. Being that this is so, what kind of blessing did the employer give the laborer by saying, “And just as you have judged me in a favorable light, my it be that G-d shall judge you also in a favorable light.” This seems ludicrous; G-d judges by the truth!

To understand this, let us move on to another story from the Talmud, this one from the tractate Brachot (58a).

A good guest, what does he say? “Look how much the host has exerted himself for me! How much meat he has brought just for me; How much wine he has brought just for me; How much delicacies he has brought just for me; and all the work he has done, he has done all of this only for me.”

A bad guest, what does he say? “Look how little the host has had to exert himself for me. I ate a small portion of bread; I ate a small piece of meat and I drank a small cup of wine. All the work he has done, he has done only for his wife and children.”

This piece of Talmud does not really reflect the truth when it comes to hospitality. For the truth is different. Neither like the good guest nor like the bad guest but rather a mixture of motives were there. The host has labored both for his wife, his children, for the guest and for himself. Yet it is a good guest who takes part of the truth and applies it favorably to enhance the graciousness of the host in his eyes. “He has done all of this only for me.” The opposite is true of the bad guest; he diminished the efforts that the host had to expend on the guest and in doing so, lowers the thankfulness that he shows to the host. The bad guest says, “All the work he has done, he has done only for his wife and children.”

Now with the second story fresh in our minds, we can go back to the first story in the Talmud, and we can now understand the blessing of the employer to the laborer. “that G-d shall judge you also in a favorable light.”

In every situation there are multiple motives; some better than others. The employer realized this and so when he blessed the laborer, he blessed him that when G-d looks down on this man and sees his motives, G-d sees the various different motives that go into each action. The employer blessed the man that G-d should choose only the best motive and grant the laborer reward based on this motive.

So too, we who can not see inside of our fellow Jew. Unless there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary, we should judge our fellow Jew in the most favorable light.