Literally: Reed of measurement
Idiomatically: Yardstick; criterion

Once upon a time, this was an actual length (6 amot or roughly 3 meters), but today it refers or any measurement. The term, "Midah" (a measurement), is used in the Bible in several places to define the lengths and widths of the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:2 - see also Ezekiel 42:15). Today when you walk into a clothing store, the salesperson would ask me "Aizeh midah ata" - what size are you? My reply would be "A 36 but I breath better in a 38." But there is another kind of Mida, and that is a mannerism or characteristic (Ethics of our fathers 5:10-11). These come together in the phrase "Midah Keneged Midah" which technically you could translate as measure for measure. The sages say it also refers to the way we act. He who is kind to others may find that people will be kind to him - after they step all over him first…

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