Mishpatim

Towards the end of the Parshah (23:20) Hashem informs us of the future time when klall yisrael will sin and an angel will be sent to guide the Jew s into Eretz Yisrael instead the presence of the Shechinah Itself. The pasuk continues to warn "Beware! Listen to his voice and don't rebel against him, for he will not carry (be patient wth or forgive) your sins...".

Rashi explains that since the angel is not one of those that ever sin, he is not accustomed to it, and exposure to sin will be intollerable for the malach.

It seems strange that a malach of such angelic character and perfection can't simply view us objectively for who we are! Shouldn't a malach realize that we are just human, -basar v'dam-, and quite capable of stumbling into silly thoughtless sin?

I believe that here the Torah is teaching us a tremendous insight into human nature. If an angel cannot free himself from judging others subjectively, and only relative to his lofty self, how much true objective judgement can we expect of ourselves! The reality is that we see everything around us only through our 'relative vision'. Employers, employees, teachers and their students, partners, clients, neighbors, freinds, and unfortunately even spouses, all tend to appreciate the other according to what use they have from them. People can evaluate their own children as their personal nachas machine, and when the machine 'malfunctions' they cannot respect and love their children appropriately for their individual traits and feelings.

Our nature of subjective judgement is quite impossible to change. However we can evaluate relative to ourselves in a different manner. As the Ramban in his famous letter writes "every person should be greater than you, in your eyes". Let us be judgemental! Let us use relative value, just in the correct way! Let us not see others by how we can use them, but rather how we can be of service to them.