There was once a person that was asked to be a Chazan in a synagogue, but some of the congregants didn’t like the way he would pray. It was too fast and he would swallow words. So after they finished services, those frustrated congregants went to the Gabai and asked him to not let him be a Chazan because of his speed and his poor pronunciation. However, there was another group that said we should judge him favorably and let him be Chazan.
The day after the gabai assigned someone else to be a Chazan, but he was too slow. The same group that said to judge the previous Chazan favorably, started complaining about the new one, and the group that complained before, now said to judge the new Chazan favorably.
he Pasuk says
ואתה תחזה מכל העם אנשי חיל יראי אלהים אנשי אמת שנאי בצע ושמת עלהם שרי אלפים שרי מאות שרי חמישים ושרי עשרות
And you shall discern from among the entire people, men of accomplishment, G-d fearing people, men of hundreds, leaders of fifties, and leaders of tens.
When Yitro came to the desert to meet Moshe Rabeinu, he saw him judging people day and night. He asked him, “Why are you judging people? Why do you sit alone with all the people standing from mornigbt to evening?”
Moshe Rabeinu answered, “The people come to me to seek G-d. They want to know the right thing. They want to know the Halacha. They want to know what HaShem wants from him. When they have a financial dispute, or there is a sick person they want me to pray for, or they want to know the Halacha, they come to me.”
Yitro responded What your doing is not good, you will surely get worn out and be unable to keep everything under control by yourself. Yitro gave him a solution of appointing judges that have unique characteristics that suit them to judge. They should be:
Men of accomplishment
G-d Fearing people
Men of truth
People who despise money.
The Emek Davar explains the definition of Men of truth: People who have common sense and can read the full picture. There are many people who are G-d fearing and seek the truth, but they cannot find the ultimate truth. They get to wrong conclusion and believe it’s the truth. This also what David HaMelxh in Tehilim:
הדריכיני באמיתך
David HaMelech was asking that he should match the truth, and asked HaShem to train him to get to the truth.
This is the meaning of people of truth. His mind is built to find the truth and not get stuck on conclusions, or on old ideas. Here the meaning of men of truth doesn’t mean that they say the truth and don’t lie because then it would say speakers of truth and not people of truth.
People of truth based on what the Emek Davar says don’t convince themselves to make decisions when it’s convenient for them and do not change their mind, even if it will be against their interest. People of truth are honest with themselves, and every step they will ask feedback from unbiased people, and advice from a Chacham. People of truth are not afraid to change there mind if it leads them to truth, because truth is what HaShem wants.
Truth is about representing the purpose of creation, and nothing about ourselves, because we are just delivering what we think are the words of HaShem. May we all lead are lives as people of truth and peace.
Shabbat Shalom.