May 10, 2000
Innocent
Until Proven Guilty or Guilty Until Proven Innocent?
New
OU Publication Explores "The Other Side of the Story"
What
would you do if you overheard your most trusted and closest friend
telling another person something you had shared in confidence? A new Orthodox
Union publication, sponsored by the organization's Pardes
Project, challenges readers to place themselves in this situation
and consider whether or not they would (or could) simply assume that
they had heard wrong and continue the friendship as before.
The
booklet looks to the Jewish tradition's biblical and rabbinic texts for
guidance on how to achieve the appropriate balance between judging
people fairly and preventing oneself from being taken advantage of by
being aware of people’s faults.
The
Other Side of the Story
Pardes source book was inspired by a book by the same name, authored by
Yehudis Samet. A renowned Israeli educator, Mrs. Samet has – for
many years – taught classes on the Torah's commandment to "dan
l'kaf zchut," give others the benefit of the doubt. Drawing on
her years of experience, she recently published an illuminating volume
on this subject.
The
book suggests that it is human nature to "size up" the people
we meet and situations we face. And that it is common to form almost
instantaneous judgments about a person's character.
But, the source book also leads readers to consider whether we
are too critical and too
quick to expect the worst of our friends, colleagues and acquaintances
or whether people are generally too
accepting and naive about the fallibility of our fellow human beings.
"We
don't for a moment question the value or importance of giving people the
benefit of the doubt," writes Rabbi
Yaacov Haber, Director of the Pardes Project, in his introduction to
this source book. "However, the essential question is: How do we
balance this with the need to discern the truth, to be intellectually
honest and to ensure that we're making the right decisions that will
affect our lives and those of our families."
Sources
presented in the pamphlet address the complexities of fair judgment in
terms of legal matters, personal relationships such as those between a
teacher and student, employer and employee or two friends, and the
relationship between humans and God – the ultimate judge.
The
Pardes Project, a monthly educational program, enables Jews of all
backgrounds to explore centuries-old wisdom on contemporary issues
through informal, nonjudgmental home-based discussion groups.
Since
1995, the Pardes Project has revitalized the world of adult Jewish
learning. In living rooms, senior centers, college campuses and
synagogues in 15 countries around the world including Australia,
Singapore, South Africa and Germany, more than 15,000 people are
participating in the Pardes dialogue.
Previous Pardes topics include spirituality, ecology, terrorism,
friendship, gender and guilt. For more information on the Pardes
Project, please call 1-800-4CHAVER.
For
editors only: For
a free copy of The
Other Side of the Story Pardes source book, please call 212.613.
8321.
The Orthodox Union, now in its second
century of service to the Jewish
community of America and beyond, is the world leader in youth
work, advocacy for
the disabled, synagogue
services, adult
education and political
action. Its kosher supervision label, the OU, is the world's
most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on nearly 250,000
products in 68 countries around the
globe.
###
www.ou.org
Comments?
Requests? Questions?
 Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations
of America
Department of Public Relations
Sharyn Perlman, Director
Main Office:
11 Broadway, New York, NY 10004
Phone: 212-613-8321 Fax: 212-564-9058
E-mail: media@ou.org |
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