Listening Softens Judgment

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.”— Deuteronomy 6:4

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other.”— Ephesians 4:32

Listening changes the way we judge others.

Most harshness grows in the absence of understanding. When we do not listen carefully, we fill the silence with assumptions. We reduce people to a single action, a single failure, or a single disagreement. We become certain too quickly.

The Sh’ma begins with a different posture:

Before speaking.Before judging.Before responding.

Listening slows us down long enough to recognize complexity. It reminds us that people cannot be fully understood from a distance.

Mercy often begins there.

Mercy begins when listening restores complexity to another human being.

Most people know what it feels like to be misunderstood. A careless comment, a mistake made under pressure, a difficult moment in life—these things can quickly become the entire story others tell about us. Sometimes relationships break because no one paused long enough to ask another question or to hear what was happening beneath the surface.

Listening creates space for humanity to reappear.

In Scripture, mercy is not the denial of truth or accountability. It is the refusal to let judgment become detached from humanity. God is repeatedly described as compassionate, patient, and slow to anger.........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)