Hesed – Make better judgment
Hesed, the fourth sphere, represents the ability to judge and think. The process begins in Malkuth with sensory perception, continues in Yesod with imagination, and then in Tipheret with abstraction, culminating in Hesed with judgment and thinking. In Hesed, ideas are acquired, either true or false. The combination of two concepts forms an idea through the process of judgment. Thinking is the result of combining multiple judgments. A true judgment evokes a sense of happiness, while a false judgment leads to dissatisfaction. Hesed encompasses all our affirmations, beliefs, value judgments, and prejudices.
In Hesed, the issue of the truth of human assertions arises, along with the potential for errors in judgment. There are six causes of misjudgment:
- Inattention of the knowing subject: When the subject lacks attentiveness, judgments may be flawed due to overlooking important details.
- Haste of the subject: Making judgments hastily without careful consideration can lead to inaccuracies.
- Abusive generalizations of the subject: Drawing overly broad generalizations without sufficient evidence or justification can result in erroneous judgments.
- Emotional disorders of the subject: Strong emotions can cloud judgment and lead to biased or irrational decisions.
- Prejudices of the subject: Preconceived notions and biases stemming from past erroneous familial and socio-cultural conditioning can influence judgments.
- Logical errors: Logical fallacies, such as mistaking an attribute for a subject or establishing connections between assertions without a valid logical or factual basis, can lead to faulty judgments.
Awareness of these potential pitfalls can help individuals cultivate more accurate and thoughtful judgments.
