Last night I met some guys I am working together with on a project.

I could not believe it! They let us down again with the exact same issue we had had a week earlier! I could not fathom how they had not taken care of something crucial they needed to do, a whole week later!!

“How was it possible? What have they been doing all week? Don’t they take this work seriously? They are being paid for it! It is their responsibility!”

When I was davening Ma’ariv later on, I realized the “trap” I had fallen into.  I had allowed myself to fall into the “Din” den of hungry lions trap! In this place my mind is filled with judgments, criticism, bitterness, resentment, complaining, moaning, groaning, and so on. (Sound familiar to anyone?)

Here is a fundamental spiritual truth which is extremely crucial for us to bear in mind and be conscious of whenever we possibly can.

When we are in the “Din” hungry lion cage reality what’s so bad? So what’s the problem? I’m just venting? Isn’t that a healthy thing to do?

If you live your life with no spiritual perspective, perhaps yes. But we see the world through different eyes. Any time I am expressing or exhibiting “Din” I am simultaneously evoking and awakening more.

I realized as I was davening that I was in a Din reality. This meant that everything I was thinking about those “lousy, rotten, no-goodnicks” would awaken din/judgment upon them. Did I really want to be doing that? No.

But it goes further than that. Pirkei Avot teaches “Da mah l’mala- mimcha!” What ever is going on in the higher worlds- it is coming from YOU! We awaken the judgment/ or love and kindness upon ourselves.

Being in Din reality doesn’t only jeopardize the people you are thinking about, it also surrounds you with an aura of being judged and scrutinized. Not only that but it opens up the spiritual pipelines of judgment on the entire world as well! (Don’t we already have enough tragedies in Am Yisrael-Lo Aleinu!?)

That thought certainly stopped me in my tracks! “OK, so how do I change direction and put my mind into Rachamim City?”

From a place of compassion I tried to think of what good I could find in them. I began to judge them favorably. “I’m sure they’re trying their best. Maybe they did put a lot of time into improving their work, and I’m not aware of it. They are good guys.” They became more “human” in my eyes.

Then I decided I would daven for them. “Hashem, please help them get their work done. Help them to concentrate and be focused. Perhaps things at home are tense and they are stressed out. Please help them to have inner-calm and menuchat hanefesh in their lives. Help us all to get along and work well as a team”.

What happened? Firstly, it calmed me down. But more importantly, I now became a source of goodness and blessing for these guys, for myself and for the world!

I was able to turn around the effect of what I had been causing before. Now the spiritual pipelines where open for bringing down bracha/blessing, shefa/abundance, and Hashem’s love, protection and goodness!

Next time you hear those hungry lions growling, be sure to keep this all in mind!