Any dispute that is “for the sake of Heaven” will in its end endure [it will have enduring value], but one that is “not for the sake of Heaven” will in its end not endure. What is a dispute that is for the sake of Heaven? This is a dispute of Hillel and Shammai. And one that is not for the sake of Heaven? This is the dispute of Korah and his group. - Pirke Avot 5:17
The High HolyDays are one of the few times of the year that not only bring our families together, but our congregational family as well. As we all know from family gatherings, the joy of being together is sometimes offset by the resumption of old arguments, or the strain of new divisions. For some families, there are topics which are taboo for the Thanksgiving, Rosh haShanah or Passover tables. Everyone knows that Uncle Abe is a fanatic about topic x, so all agree not to mention the subject.
The elephant in the room, as it may be, this season, is the “Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action” - also know as the Iran nuclear deal. Opinions range widely in the American (and Israeli) Jewish community for good reason. A nuclear armed Iran is an existential threat to the state of Israel (as well as other Gulf states). Where Jews (and others) fiercely differ is whether the current agreement is the best way to move that threat into the future, or whether it is fundamentally flawed and will not only fail to prevent Iran from obtaining deliverable nuclear weapons, but will also allow increased funding of Hezbollah, Hamas, and other destabilizing terrorist groups.
There is a debate going on among rabbis about speaking about the issue during High HolyDay sermons. On the one hand, most rabbis have neither degrees nor expertise in foreign affairs, international sanctions, or nuclear non-proliferation. On the other hand, if this issue is important to the Jewish community, the pulpit is the place shed the light of Jewish tradition on the matter at hand.
From this rabbi’s perspective, the makhlokhet (the argument or dispute) is the appropriate place to listen to Jewish wisdom. In the quote from Pirkei Avot above, the sages of the Talmudic era focus on the purpose of various disputes. The ideal is a dispute that is “for the sake of Heaven”. What does this phrase mean? The rabbis focus on two examples - the house of Hillel and the house of Shammai, and the followers of Korach. Korach, you may remember, stands up to Moses in the book of Numbers and asks who put Moses in charge, if all the people were holy. The rabbis see this argument as more about the person arguing and their status, than the actual matter of the discussion. On the other hand, Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai, the intellectual descendants of the Mishnah sages Hillel and Shammai, argued not over their own status, but about the points of the law. In general, Beit Shammai was more restrictive, and Beit Hillel was more lenient. Though their disagreements resulted in serious practice differences, the Talmud also states that, despite that, the children of Beit Hillel still married the children of Beit Shammai, and vice versa.
In today’s Jewish world, that is no small matter. Orthodox Jews, who do not believe that Reform, and even Conservative practice, is valid under their interpretation of Jewish law, especially those of conversion and Jewish identity, often will not allow such marriages - doubting the Jewishness of the non-Orthodox partner.
In our Jewish community, we cannot afford such divisions. This current debate about the Iran agreement, which, I believe, springs from divisions in support of Israel, must be a dispute for the sake of heaven. Whether one believes that any Jew must support the state of Israel no matter what, or that one may publicly disagree with Israeli policy, these beliefs spring from a passionate concern and care for the state of Israel, not a lack thereof. Jews on either side of the debate must agree not only to figuratively allow their children to intermarry, but to, in reality, live together and share the same communal space. The same goes for political disagreements of all stripes. A more modern construction might be - And, despite their differences, those of the house of Hillel and the house of Shammai, still did not de-friend each other on Facebook.
For the New Year, let us resolve to remember that each of us are created b’tzelem elohim - with a piece of the Divine in us. That piece of the Divine is what calls us to our better selves. We may follow a different political path; we may be persuaded by a different interpretation of the “facts”, but in all cases, we are equally gifted with humanity. We cannot discount others as idiots, dupes, knee-jerk reactors, or such. If we truly believe that our arguments are for the sake of heaven - that we are trying, each in our own understanding to make the world a better place for all, then we must acknowledge that we live in a world with people who have different understandings, and that they are entitled to their opinions as well. We do not have to agree with each other’s ideas. We do have to agree in each other’s humanity. If we can keep that in mind - truly love our neighbors as ourselves - then our arguments will be for the sake of heaven, and we can maintain hope in reaching that heaven here on earth.
L’shanah tovah tikateivu - let’s write ourselves for a good New Year.
Rabbi Abraham
