A True Leader Always Finds Merit
Moshe asked for a leader who, like Hashem, would understand the pressures of daily life and always judge Klal Yisroel favorably.
Ahavas Yisroel
When Moshe Rabbeinu asked Hashem to appoint a leader after him, he called upon Him as the G-d of the spirits of all flesh. The Kedushas Levi explains his choice of words. When a Jew falls short in serving Hashem, we must search for a fair reason to judge him favorably, and one is usually close at hand: he must toil for his bread, and the weight of this world presses on him. The angels serve without distraction because they carry no such burden. A human being lives with both. Moshe was asking for a leader who understands this, who, like Hashem Himself, knows what is in each person's heart, and therefore always finds the good in Israel. A judge and leader of the Jewish people, the Rebbe teaches, must be one who 'always pleads in favor of Israel.'
Source: Kedushas Levi, Bamidbar, Pinchas (on Bamidbar 27:16)
When someone disappoints you today, whether they are late, short-tempered or missing from where you expected them, stop and ask what pressure they might be carrying that you cannot see. Before the judging thought settles in, give it a living reason: perhaps she was up all night with a sick child; perhaps he is worried about parnassah. If you are a parent, a teacher or a leader of any kind, remember that the Berditchever names this as the first qualification for leading others.