One should also accustom himself to judge his friend in the scales of merit, as Chazal have said (Shevuoth 30a): "(Vayikra 19:15): 'In righteousness shall you judge your friend' — Judge your friend in the scales of merit." And this is one of the things for which one eats the fruits in this world, with the principal remaining for the world to come, as they said in Shabbath 127a.
The idea of "the scales of merit" is either to side with the one who is reported to have done or said something, i.e., to say that the din is with him, or to say that he was unwitting in what he did or said, or that he did not know the severity of the issur, or, even if none of the above possibilities apply, to think that perhaps the speaker left out a certain detail or added a small detail, which slanted the report in his disfavor. And Chazal have stated as a principle (Avoth 2:4): "Do not judge your friend until you find yourself in his place."
Come see the episode in Shabbath 127b, from which the just man may learn that one must judge his friend in the scales of merit, even if the premise of the merit is farther [from reality than that of liability]: "The Rabbis taught: If one judges his friend in the scales of merit, he, too, will be judged in the scales of merit. Once, a man from upper Galilee went and hired himself out to a man in the south for three years. On Yom Kippur eve, he said: "Give me my wages so that I can go and feed my wife and children." The employer: "I have none." The worker: "Give me land." The employer: "I have none." The worker: "Give me mattresses and pillows." The employer: "I have none." The worker slung his belongings on his back and went home dejected. After the festival, the employer took his [the worker's] wages along with three asses, one laden with food, one with [containers of] drink, and one with all manner of clothing, and he went to the worker's house. After they had eaten and drunk, and he had given the worker his wages, he asked him: "When you asked me for your wages and I told you that I had no money, what did you suspect me of?" The worker: "I thought that a 'good buy' had come your way and that you had used your money for that." The employer: "When you asked me for the animals and I told you that I had none, what did you suspect me of?" The worker: "I thought that you might have hired them out to others." The employer: "When you asked me for land and I told you that I had none, what did you suspect me of?" The worker: "I thought that you might have rented it out to others." The employer: "When I told you that I had no produce, what did you suspect me of?" The worker: "I thought that perhaps you had not tithed it." The employer: "When I told you that I had no mattresses and pillows, what did you suspect me of?" The worker: "I thought that perhaps you had consecrated all of your belongings to Heaven." The employer: "I swear that this is what happened. I vowed [i.e., consecrated to Heaven] all of my possessions because my son Hyrcanus would not study Torah; and when I came to my colleagues in the South, they annulled all of my vows for me. And, as for you, just as you judged me in the scales of merit, may the Holy One Blessed be He judge you in the scales of merit." And there are adduced further instances in the Gemara where the scales of merit are farther [from reality] than those of liability, notwithstanding which they were careful to judge according to the scales of merit.
Now according to the extent of one's habituation to this trait, so will there be diminished from him the sin of lashon hara. How much, then, must a man strengthen himself in this trait, to judge every man in the scales of merit. For on this trait or on the reverse, G-d forbid, can easily depend a man's being called a tzaddik or a rasha [wicked] forever. For it is known that a man's guilt or merit depends upon the majority of his mitzvoth or sins, as Chazal have stated in many places. If the majority [of his deeds] are mitzvoth, he is called a tzaddik; and, if sins, he is called a rasha. And Chazal have said (Rosh Hashanah 16b): "Three books are opened on the day of judgment [(that is the "great" day of judgment at the resurrection [viz. Rashi])]. The absolutely righteous are written down and sealed immediately for eternal life. The absolutely wicked [(that is, those with a majority of sins [viz. Rashi])] are written down and sealed immediately for Gehinnom." Now it is well known that in respect to a man's merits, even if they be as many as the sands [of the sea], if the Holy One Blessed be He conducts Himself with him according to the absolute measure of din [judgment], there will remain with him only a miniscule amount. For with many of them he will not have fulfilled them in all the details and aspects relevant to that mitzvah. And even those he did fulfill thus, would not have been fulfilled with the love and the fear and the joy appropriate for the doing of the mitzvah. In sum, if the Holy One Blessed be He were exacting, G-d forbid, as to the doing of His mitzvoth, most would be found blemished, and the remaining mitzvoth would not constitute a minority of a minority of his sins, and he would be called a rasha for eternity. But if the Holy One Blessed be He conducted Himself with him according to the attribute of mercy, and sought merit for him in all of his acts, his merits would remain intact. More than this, even if his deeds were counted and he were found to have a majority of sins, if the Holy One Blessed be He would conduct Himself with him according to the absolute measure of mercy, his sins would be diminished. For there would certainly be found many sins which could be attenuated because of his having committed them unwittingly, or for some other reason. In sum, if the Holy One Blessed be He wished to seek merit for a person, there would be no hindrance to His doing so, and if, as a result, some of his sins were diminished, the scale of merit would predominate and he would be called a tzaddik for eternity.
Now all of this is dependent on how he has conducted himself all the days of his life with his fellow man. If his way were to judge them in the scales of merit, he, too, will be judged in [the scales of] merit (as in Shabbath 127b above). And if his way were to find guilt in people and to speak evil of them, the ministering angels above will speak evil of him, too, as we find in Midrash Mishlei. Therefore, a man must know in his soul, while he is still alive, that as he judges his friend, whether for good or for bad, by his words themselves he is determining his own judgment.
בּוֹ יְבֹאַר גֹּדֶל מַעֲלָתוֹ שֶׁל הָאָדָם הַדָּן אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת.
In this chapter there will be explained the merit of one who judges his friend in the scales of merit.
גַּם יַרְגִּיל אֶת עַצְמוֹ לָדוּן אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲזַ"ל (שבועות ל.) (ויקרא י"ט ט"ו): "בְּצֶדֶק תִּשְׁפֹּט עֲמִיתֶךָ" (סַנְהֶדְרִין ל"ב) "הֱוֵי דָּן אֶת חֲבֵרְךָ לְכַף זְכוּת". וְהוּא אֶחָד מֵהַדְּבָרִים שֶׁאָדָם אוֹכֵל פֵּרוֹתֵיהֶן בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, וְהַקְּרֶן קַיֶּמֶת לוֹ לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ בְּשַׁבָּת (קכ"ז.).
One should also accustom himself to judge his friend in the scales of merit, as Chazal have said (Shevuoth 30a): "(Vayikra 19:15): 'In righteousness shall you judge your friend' — Judge your friend in the scales of merit." And this is one of the things for which one eats the fruits in this world, with the principal remaining for the world to come, as they said in Shabbath 127a.
וְהָעִנְיָן שֶׁל כַּף זְכוּת הוּא בֵּין אִם יֵשׁ לְצַדֵּד בְּעֶצֶם הָעִנְיָן שֶׁנִּשְׁמַע עָלָיו שֶׁעָשָׂה אוֹ שֶׁדִּבֵּר, לוֹמַר שֶׁהַדִּין עִמּוֹ, אוֹ שֶׁבִּשְׁגָגָה בָּא הָעִנְיָן לְיָדוֹ, אוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יָדַע אֶת חֹמֶר אִסּוּרוֹ, וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם נִתְבָּרֵר שֶׁכָּל הַסְּבָרוֹת לֹא שַׁיָּכוֹת בְּזֶה הַמַּעֲשֶׂה, יַחֲשֹׁב: אוּלַי חִסֵּר הַמְסַפֵּר פְּרָט אֶחָד אוֹ שֶׁהוֹסִיף עוֹד פְּרָט אֶחָד קָטָן, שֶׁעַל יְדֵי זֶה נִשְׁתַּנָּה הָעִנְיָן לִגְנוּת עָלָיו? וּכְלָל אָמְרוּ חֲזַ"ל בְּאָבוֹת (ב' ד'): "אַל תָּדִין אֶת חֲבֵרְךָ עַד שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ לִמְקוֹמוֹ".
The idea of "the scales of merit" is either to side with the one who is reported to have done or said something, i.e., to say that the din is with him, or to say that he was unwitting in what he did or said, or that he did not know the severity of the issur, or, even if none of the above possibilities apply, to think that perhaps the speaker left out a certain detail or added a small detail, which slanted the report in his disfavor. And Chazal have stated as a principle (Avoth 2:4): "Do not judge your friend until you find yourself in his place."
לֵךָ נָא רְאֵה בְּמַעֲשֵׂה דְּשַׁבָּת (קכ"ז:), מִמֶּנָּה יִלְמַד הָאָדָם הַיָּשָׁר, שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לָדוּן אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת, אֲפִלּוּ אִם אֹפֶן הַזְּכוּת הוּא הַיּוֹתֵר רָחוֹק. וְזֶה לְשׁוֹן הַגְּמָרָא שָׁם: תָּנוּ רַבָּנָן: הַדָּן חֲבֵרוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת, דָּנִין אוֹתוֹ לִזְכוּת, וּמַעֲשֶׂה בְּאָדָם אֶחָד שֶׁיָּרַד מִגָּלִיל הָעֶלְיוֹן וְנִשְׂכַּר אֵצֶל בַּעַל הַבַּיִת אֶחָד בַּדָּרוֹם שָׁלֹש שָׁנִים. עֶרֶב יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים אָמַר לוֹ: תֵּן לִי שְׂכָרִי וְאֵלֵךְ וְאָזוּן אֶת אִשְׁתִּי וּבָנַי. אָמַר לוֹ: אֵין לִי מָעוֹת. אָמַר לוֹ: תֵּן לִי פֵּרוֹת, אָמַר לוֹ: אֵין לִי. תֵּן לִי בְּהֵמָה אֵין לִי. כָּרִים וּכְסָתוֹת אֵין לִי. הִפְשִׁיל כֵּלָיו לַאֲחוֹרָיו וְהָלַךְ לְבֵיתוֹ בְּפַחֵי נֶפֶשׁ. לְאַחַר הָרֶגֶל נָטַל בַּעַל הַבַּיִת שְׂכָרוֹ בְּיָדוֹ וְעִמּוֹ מַשּׂוֹי שְׁלֹשָה חֲמוֹרִים, אֶחָד שֶׁל מַאֲכָל וְאֶחָד שֶׁל מִשְׁתֶּה וְאֶחָד שֶׁל מִינֵי מְגָדִים וְהָלַךְ לוֹ לְבֵיתוֹ. אַחַר שֶׁאָכְלוּ וְשָׁתוּ נָתַן לוֹ שְׂכָרוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ: בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ, תֵּן לִי שְׂכָרִי וְאָמַרְתִּי, אֵין לִי מָעוֹת, בַּמָּה חֲשַׁדְתַּנִי? אָמַרְתִּי, שֶׁמָּא פְּרַקְמַטְיָא בְּזוֹל נִזְדַּמְּנָה לְךָ וְלָקַחְתָּ בָּהֶן. וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ לִי, תֵּן לִי בְּהֵמָה וְאָמַרְתִּי, אֵין לִי בְּהֵמָה, בַּמָּה חֲשַׁדְתַּנִי? אָמַרְתִּי, שֶׁמָּא מֻשְׂכֶּרֶת בְּיַד אֲחֵרִים. וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ לִי, תֵּן לִי קַרְקַע וְאָמַרְתִּי לְךָ, אֵין לִי קַרְקַע, בַּמָּה חֲשַׁדְתַּנִי? אָמַרְתִּי, שֶׁמָּא מֻחְכֶּרֶת בְּיַד אֲחֵרִים הִיא. וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי לְךָ, אֵין לִי פֵּרוֹת, בַּמָּה חֲשַׁדְתַּנִי? אָמַרְתִּי, שֶׁמָּא אֵינָן מְעֻשָּׂרוֹת. וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי לְךָ, אֵין לִי כָּרִים וּכְסָתוֹת, בַּמָּה חֲשַׁדְתַּנִי? אָמַרְתִּי שֶׁמָּא הִקְדִּישׁ כָּל נְכָסָיו לַשָּׁמַיִם. אָמַר לוֹ: הָעֲבוֹדָה, כָּךְ הָיָה. הִדַּרְתִּי כָּל נְכָסַי בִּשְׁבִיל הוֹרְקְנוּס בְּנִי, שֶׁלֹּא עָסַקּ בַּתּוֹרָה, וּכְשֶׁבָּאתִי אֵצֶל חֲבֵרַי בַּדָּרוֹם הִתִּירוּ לִי כָּל נְדָרַי. וְאַתָּה כְּשֵׁם שֶׁדַּנְתַּנִי לִזְכוּת, הַמָּקוֹם יָדִין אוֹתְךָ לִזְכוּת. וְכֵן מוּבָא שָׁם בַּגְּמָרָא עוֹד עִנְיָנִים דְּהַכַּף זְכוּת הָיָה יוֹתֵר רָחוֹק מֵהַכַּף חוֹב וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן הָיוּ זְהִירִין לָדוּן לִזְכוּת.
Come see the episode in Shabbath 127b, from which the just man may learn that one must judge his friend in the scales of merit, even if the premise of the merit is farther [from reality than that of liability]: "The Rabbis taught: If one judges his friend in the scales of merit, he, too, will be judged in the scales of merit. Once, a man from upper Galilee went and hired himself out to a man in the south for three years. On Yom Kippur eve, he said: "Give me my wages so that I can go and feed my wife and children." The employer: "I have none." The worker: "Give me land." The employer: "I have none." The worker: "Give me mattresses and pillows." The employer: "I have none." The worker slung his belongings on his back and went home dejected. After the festival, the employer took his [the worker's] wages along with three asses, one laden with food, one with [containers of] drink, and one with all manner of clothing, and he went to the worker's house. After they had eaten and drunk, and he had given the worker his wages, he asked him: "When you asked me for your wages and I told you that I had no money, what did you suspect me of?" The worker: "I thought that a 'good buy' had come your way and that you had used your money for that." The employer: "When you asked me for the animals and I told you that I had none, what did you suspect me of?" The worker: "I thought that you might have hired them out to others." The employer: "When you asked me for land and I told you that I had none, what did you suspect me of?" The worker: "I thought that you might have rented it out to others." The employer: "When I told you that I had no produce, what did you suspect me of?" The worker: "I thought that perhaps you had not tithed it." The employer: "When I told you that I had no mattresses and pillows, what did you suspect me of?" The worker: "I thought that perhaps you had consecrated all of your belongings to Heaven." The employer: "I swear that this is what happened. I vowed [i.e., consecrated to Heaven] all of my possessions because my son Hyrcanus would not study Torah; and when I came to my colleagues in the South, they annulled all of my vows for me. And, as for you, just as you judged me in the scales of merit, may the Holy One Blessed be He judge you in the scales of merit." And there are adduced further instances in the Gemara where the scales of merit are farther [from reality] than those of liability, notwithstanding which they were careful to judge according to the scales of merit.
וְהִנֵּה לְפִי רֹב הֶרְגֵּלוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם בְּמִדָּה זוֹ, כֵּן נֶגֶד זֶה יִתְמַעֵט מִמֶּנּוּ עֲוֹן לָשׁוֹן הָרָע. וְהִנֵּה מַה מְּאֹד צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְחַזֵּק אֶת עַצְמוֹ בְּמִדָּה זוֹ לָדוּן אֶת כָּל אָדָם לְכַף זְכוּת, כִּי עַל יְדֵי מִדָּה זוֹ דְּכַף זְכוּת וְכֵן לְהֶפֶךְ, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, נָקֵל לְהָאָדָם לְהַעֲלוֹת עַל עַצְמוֹ שֵׁם צַדִּיק אוֹ רָשָׁע לְעוֹלָם, כִּי יָדוּעַ הוּא דְּחוֹבָתוֹ שֶׁל הָאָדָם וּזְכוּתוֹ תְּלוּיִים לְפִי רֹב הַמִּצְוֹת וְהָעֲוֹנוֹת שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּיָדוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲזַ"ל בְּכַמָּה מְקוֹמוֹת, אִם רֹב מִצְוֹת הוּא בְּגֶדֶר צַדִיק, וְאִם רֹב עֲוֹנוֹת הוּא בְּגֶדֶר רָשָׁע, וְאָמְרוּ חֲזַ"ל (ראש השנה ט"ז:): שְׁלֹשָה סְפָרִים נִפְתָּחִין לְיוֹם הַדִּין, (הַיְנוּ יוֹם הַדִּין הַגָּדוֹל בְּעֵת הַתְּחִיָּה, כְּפֵרוּשׁ רַשִּׁ"י שָׁם) צַדִּיקַים גְּמוּרִין נִכְתָּבִין וְנֶחְתָּמִין לְאַלְתַּר לְחַיֵּי עוֹלָם, רְשָׁעִים גְּמוּרִים, (הַיְנוּ רֹב עֲוֹנוֹת, כְּפֵרוּשׁ רַשִּׁ"י שָׁם), נִכְתָּבִין וְנֶחְתָּמִים לְאַלְתַּר לַגֵּיהִנֹּם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְכוּ', בֵּינוֹנִים וְכוּ'. וְהִנֵּה יָדוּעַ הוּא דִּבְעִנְיַן הַזְּכֻיּוֹת שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּיַד הָאָדָם, אַף אִם כַּחֹל יִרְבּוּן, אִם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יִתְנַהֵג עִמּוֹ בְּמִדַּת הַדִין הַגְּמוּרָה, לֹא יִשָׁאֲרוּ בְּיָדוֹ, כִּי אִם מְעַט מִזְּעֵיר, כִּי כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה מֵהֶן לֹא הִשְׁלִים לַעֲשׂוֹת אוֹתָן בְּכָל פְּרָטֵיהֶן וְאָפְנֵיהֶן הַנְּאוֹתִין לְאוֹתָהּ מִצְוָה, וַאֲפִלּוּ אוֹתָן שֶׁהִשְׁלִימָן כַּדִּין, לֹא הָיוּ בְּאַהֲבָה וּבְיִרְאָה וּבְשִׂמְחָה הָרָאוּי לַעֲשִׂיַּת הַמִּצְוָה. כְּלָלוֹ שֶׁל דָּבָר, אִם יְדַקְדֵּק הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, אַחַר עֲשִׂיַּת מִצְוֹתָיו, יִמָּצְאוּ רֻבָּן בַּעֲלֵי מוּמִין, וְהַמִּצְוֹת שֶׁיִּשָׁאֲרוּ לוֹ יִהְיוּ מִעוּטָא דְּמִעוּטָא נֶגֶד הָעֲוֹנוֹת שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ, וְיִקָּרֵא עַל הָאָדָם עֲבוּר זֶה שֵׁם רָשָׁע לְעוֹלָם. אֲבָל אִם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יִתְנַהֵג עִמּוֹ בְּמִדַּת הָרַחֲמִים וִיחַפֵּשׂ עָלָיו זְכוּת בְּכָל עִנְיָנָיו, יִשָּׁאֲרוּ זְכֻיּוֹתָיו עַל מְכוֹנָן. וְיוֹתֵר מִזֶּה, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ אִם נִמְנוּ מַעֲשָׂיו וְנִמְצָא שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ רֹב עֲוֹנוֹת, אִם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יִתְנַהֵג עִמּוֹ בְּמִדַּת הָרַחֲמִים הַגְּמוּרָה יִתְמַעֲטוּ מִנְיָנָן. כִּי בְּוַדַּאי יִמָּצְאוּ כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה מֵהָעֲוֹנוֹת שֶׁיֵּשׁ לְחַפּוֹת עָלָיו שֶׁעָשָׂה אוֹתָן בִּשְׁגָגָה אוֹ בְּסִבָּה אַחֶרֶת. כְּלָלוֹ שֶׁל דָּבָר אִם יִרְצֶה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְחַפֵּשׂ זְכוּת עַל הָאָדָם לֹא יִבָּצֵר מִמֶּנּוּ. וּמִמֵּילָא אִם יִתְמַעֲטוּ מִקְּצַת עֲוֹנוֹתָיו תַּכְרִיעַ כַּף הַזְּכוּת, וְיִקָּרֵא עָלָיו שֵׁם צַדִּיק לְעוֹלָם.
Now according to the extent of one's habituation to this trait, so will there be diminished from him the sin of lashon hara. How much, then, must a man strengthen himself in this trait, to judge every man in the scales of merit. For on this trait or on the reverse, G-d forbid, can easily depend a man's being called a tzaddik or a rasha [wicked] forever. For it is known that a man's guilt or merit depends upon the majority of his mitzvoth or sins, as Chazal have stated in many places. If the majority [of his deeds] are mitzvoth, he is called a tzaddik; and, if sins, he is called a rasha. And Chazal have said (Rosh Hashanah 16b): "Three books are opened on the day of judgment [(that is the "great" day of judgment at the resurrection [viz. Rashi])]. The absolutely righteous are written down and sealed immediately for eternal life. The absolutely wicked [(that is, those with a majority of sins [viz. Rashi])] are written down and sealed immediately for Gehinnom." Now it is well known that in respect to a man's merits, even if they be as many as the sands [of the sea], if the Holy One Blessed be He conducts Himself with him according to the absolute measure of din [judgment], there will remain with him only a miniscule amount. For with many of them he will not have fulfilled them in all the details and aspects relevant to that mitzvah. And even those he did fulfill thus, would not have been fulfilled with the love and the fear and the joy appropriate for the doing of the mitzvah. In sum, if the Holy One Blessed be He were exacting, G-d forbid, as to the doing of His mitzvoth, most would be found blemished, and the remaining mitzvoth would not constitute a minority of a minority of his sins, and he would be called a rasha for eternity. But if the Holy One Blessed be He conducted Himself with him according to the attribute of mercy, and sought merit for him in all of his acts, his merits would remain intact. More than this, even if his deeds were counted and he were found to have a majority of sins, if the Holy One Blessed be He would conduct Himself with him according to the absolute measure of mercy, his sins would be diminished. For there would certainly be found many sins which could be attenuated because of his having committed them unwittingly, or for some other reason. In sum, if the Holy One Blessed be He wished to seek merit for a person, there would be no hindrance to His doing so, and if, as a result, some of his sins were diminished, the scale of merit would predominate and he would be called a tzaddik for eternity.
וְהִנֵּה כָּל זֶה תָּלוּי לְפִי הַהַנְהָגָה שֶׁהִנְהִיג אֶת עַצְמוֹ בִּימֵי חַיָּיו עִם הַבְּרִיּוֹת. אִם דַּרְכּוֹ הָיְתָה לָדוּן אוֹתָם לְכַף זְכוּת, דָּנִין אוֹתוֹ גַּם כֵּן לִזְכוּת, כִּדְאִיתָא בְּשַׁבָּת קכז. וְאִם דַּרְכּוֹ הָיְתָה לְלַמֵּד חוֹבָה עַל הַבְּרִיּוֹת וּלְדַבֵּר עֲלֵיהֶם רַע, גַּם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת מְדַבְּרִים עָלָיו רַע לְמַעְלָה, כִּדְאִיתָא בְּמִדְרַשׁ מִשְׁלֵי. עַל כֵּן צָרִיךְ שֶׁיֵּדַע הָאָדָם בְּנַפְשׁוֹ בְּעוֹדוֹ בַּחַיִּים, כִּי בְּעֵת שֶׁהוּא דָּן אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ, בֵּין לְטַב בֵּין לְמוּטָב, אָז בְּדִבּוּרָיו מַמָּשׁ הוּא מְסַדֵּר דִּין לְעַצְמוֹ.
Now all of this is dependent on how he has conducted himself all the days of his life with his fellow man. If his way were to judge them in the scales of merit, he, too, will be judged in [the scales of] merit (as in Shabbath 127b above). And if his way were to find guilt in people and to speak evil of them, the ministering angels above will speak evil of him, too, as we find in Midrash Mishlei. Therefore, a man must know in his soul, while he is still alive, that as he judges his friend, whether for good or for bad, by his words themselves he is determining his own judgment.