“Rabbi Joshua ben Perahiah used to say, ‘Make for yourself a teacher, acquire for yourself a friend, and judge everyone with kaf zchut, the scales tipped in their favor.’”
—Mishnah Avot 1:6
Though yesterday’s celebration of Presidents Day is most closely linked with President Washington, many states also use the day to venerate the virtues of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. Often remembered for his steadfast resolve during the trying circumstances of the American Civil War, his role in shepherding the Emancipation Proclamation to fruition, and his unimpeachable oratory skill, Lincoln also reinvented the role of commander-in-chief, taking direct involvement in the war foisted upon him at the outset of his presidency.
Lincoln’s gifts for strategy and tactics, coupled with his understanding and empathy for the plight of the individual soldier all contributed to his success as a wartime president. A large part of his success, though, came from his willingness to offer his often-unsuccessful generals the benefit of the doubt. Though many criticized Lincoln’s two-years-long indulgence of the mutinous, dawdling George McClellan, Lincoln’s patient hand with McClellan allowed the nation to benefit from McClellan’s best traits—equipping, training, and fortifying a fighting force—even as Lincoln kept an open eye for his replacement.
Meanwhile, few of Lincoln’s advisors offered a positive appraisal of Ulysses Grant, the general Lincoln chose to oversee the conclusion of the Civil War. An alcoholic previously forced to resign his post for being drunk on duty, Grant offended many a fellow officer with his drinking, unkempt uniform, and disdain for military courtesies. Lincoln, however, looked past these superficial critiques and found a keen military mind and spirit capable of bringing the war to a successful conclusion.
Lincoln’s presidency provides a stark reminder of the benefits of judging others with kaf zchut, the scales tipped in their favor.
—Rabbi Josh Knobel