In last week's parsha Toldos, I wrote about Yaakov, the "Ish Tam", one who was "totally honest, a man of great integrity", who was master over the trait of being "tam", a "'plain man', ... without trickery, but he did not allow this character trait to dominate him.  He knew when and where to act otherwise." 

We later learned that Yaakov told Rachel "'...that he was her father's kinsman', according to the Sages, 'If he has come to be sly, I am his kinsman in being sly.'"  And the Hozeh of Lublin  quotes the Sages saying; "'Whoever is compassionate where he should be cruel will eventually be cruel where should be compassionate.'" He continued by saying that "a person needs to be master over all of his traits. If he fails to apply so-called negative traits in their proper times, he will end up applying them when it is wrong to do so."  "A person needs to know how to act in different circumstances, sometimes one way to further the will of Hashem and other times the exact opposite way for the same end."  ("Growth Through Torah" by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin on Parsha Toldos, pages 62-63, "Torah Gems" by Aharon Yaakov Greenberg, on Parsha Toldos, page 203)

So, when we learn that Lavan ran to greet Yaakov and hugged and kissed him and brought him to his house, we see that while Lavan appeared extremely loving and warm, he was not acting out of brotherly, familial love when embracing Yaakov.  The fact was that the knivving Lavan, expecting a rerun of the gifts showered upon his family by Eliezer when he came to acquire Rifka as Yitzchak's Shidduch, saw an empty-handed Yaakov and subjected him to a full-body grope searching for goodies.  Maybe there was gold under them thare garments, or maybe Yaakov was hiding diamonds in his mouth.

Rav Pliskin in "Growth Through Torah" expresses the importance of judging people favorably.  But he then goes on to quote Rabbi Yeruchem Levovitz who says that "if someone is an evil person we are obligated to judge him unfavorably.   Some people may find this rather harsh, but that is the reality: with evil people assume the worst. (Rabbi Yeruchem Levovitz; Daas Torah: Breish't, Pge. 192)"

Rav Pliskin continues that "we need to master the ability of seeing the good in the bad and the bad in the good.  Then we need to know when to use each ability.  Judging an evil person on the side of merit is not a virtue but a fault.  Failure to be on guard to protect yourself from a deceitful person can cause you and others much damage and heartache. ... The way of the Torah is to use wisdom to know when to assume negative motivations and when to judge others favorably."
 
While Rav Pliskin says that it's unfortunate "...that many people fail to judge others favorably when they really should", he also says that the opposite, the tendency "...of believing everyone is considered ... to be the attribute of a fool." (Growth Through Torah, Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, Parsha Vayeitzei, pages 75-76)

And so, it seems that this attribute judging and distinguishing the "good in the bad" favorably  and the "bad in the good" negatively.  This attribute would seem to go hand-in-hand with applying one's own positive and negative attributes at the appropriate times, i.e., compassion to the compassionate and cruelty to the evil.

This lesson has not yet been learned by those whose political cheshbonot plays them right into the hands of the cruel, of those who act with ulterior motives for dancing upon their brother's years of toil, effort and blood in Gush Katif. (i.e. acting to keep themselves out of court trial or anticipating the racking in of wind-fall Casino profits.)  And it has not been learned by those blinded by their own hateful political agenda to call for freeing Marwan Barghouti y'machsh'mo (Arafat's murderous associate and purveyor of Jewish bleeding and death) so he can run to succeed Arafat, y'machsh'mo.

May it be in this new year that our brethren in Gush Katif as well as our dear brother, Jonathan Pollard and our brethren currently subject to police harrassment, political interrogation and political persecution be central in our thoughts, prayers and actions.  May the Gezeirot Rah end, the Socialists evaporate and Sharon be retired to his Sycamore Ranch in the Negev.  May we be zocha the moment when Jonathan Pollard is finally home among his brethren who care deeply about him.  May we be zocha in this coming year take giant steps toward fulfilling Hashem's blueprint of B'nai Yisrael as a Unique people -- an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with "the nations."   

May we be zocha the Moshiach, the Ge'ula Shlaima, "Yom Hashem V'Kol HaGoyim", the Ultimate Redemption, bim hay v'yameinu -- speedily, in our time", -- Immediately; Achshav, Chik Chuk, Meiyad, Etmol!!!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of the Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.