Standing in Someone Else’s Shoes - Mishpatim

How quickly do we judge—our children, our students, our neighbors—without ever truly standing in their place? In this morning’s class on Parashat Mishpatim, we explored the Torah’s demand that cuts against our instincts: אַל תָּדִין אֶת חֲבֵרְךָ עַד שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ לִמְקוֹמוֹ—don’t judge another until you reach his place. But what if we can never really get there? Drawing on Pirkei Avot, the story of Ḥannah and Eli HaKohen, and the Torah’s repeated warning not to oppress the ger, this class challenges the easy assumptions we make when we look only at the outside and ignore the unseen storm within. The Torah does not deny struggle—it redefines how we respond to it. “Because you were strangers in Egypt” is not a license to toughen others up; it is a command to soften. Through powerful stories and Chazal’s piercing insights, this class confronts a dangerous trap: turning our own suffering into a measuring stick for others. If you’ve ever thought, “I had it harder—so why can’t they handle this?” this shiur asks you to pause, rethink, and transform your past pain into empathy rather than judgment. This is not a feel-good message—it’s a demanding one. And it may change how you look at the people closest to you.