Yehuda Berg’s Blog

“You should judge your friend justly,” it is written. This initially sounds like yet another spiritual lesson most of us have heard before. In reality there is a very important self-centered reason why we need to judge others justly.

A long time ago, in the Holy Temple, there was a mirror in which the spirituality of a person could be seen. Today, because the temple doesn’t exist, every person is a mirror for others.

What you see in other people is really within you. When you judge something you don’t like in another, you’re basically pointing out your own bad points.

Today, every time a judgment enters your mind, ask yourself, “What is the Light showing me about myself now?” Asking the question will lead you to your answer. Once you have seen your own flaws, you’ll immediately feel more mercy towards the other person — and yourself.

“There is anger, and there is anger.” — The Zohar

Zohar says there are two sides to anger, “one blessed and the other cursed.”

At times we must exert judgment or anger that is rooted in love and sharing. We call this positive anger; it is a form of love, as when a parent disciplines a child out concern for the child’s safety.

Ego-based anger, however, creates negative energy. If a parent punishes a child as an expression of inner frustration, this anger is cursed. One version of anger generates love; the other creates darkness.

Today, dole out anger rooted in love. Bless it with the Light of The Creator.

“What a person does not do while he still has the power that the Creator has given him, he will not again have the opportunity of doing in the grave, for at that time he will no longer possess this power of choice and free will given to him.”
-The Ramchal, 18th century kabbalist

Windows of opportunity are open all around us. But for how long?

Today, prioritize your life. Look at your day and see how much time you devote to the what really counts: serving others, sacrificing ego, and growing your connection to the Light. Stop pushing things off until tomorrow. There’s no time like the present.