Every so often, the Jewish world is rocked by a new religious war. On one side are the innovators, reformers, deviators, and on the other, the traditionalists, the [usually self-appointed] "keepers of the flame". This is not a new phenomenon, but rather one which is a natural product of life in a religious society. Even in the rare biblical setting of a nation directly addressed by God, Korah and his followers challenged Moshe's leadership. That phenomenon has intensified after the Maccabean revolt, and since then, dissenting opinions and Halakhic disputes have shaped Jewish history.
In this post, I do not wish to take sides in current or past disputes, though, as you very well know, if I feel that a certain Halakhic decision can help people I will explain and promulgate it. Today I would just like to offer an advice to the attackers, those who publicly denounce other rabbis for their rulings or teachings, and do not shy from tarnishing their reputation, using verbal violence, taking the battle to social media, and soliciting letters of rebuke from religious leaders. My advice is based on historical perspective and it is very simple:
Violence does not work!
Already King Solomon said (Proverbs 25:15): ולשון רכה תשבר גרם- one can convince the most stubborn person with soft words. The opposite is also true - the more aggressive and demeaning the attack, the more one is likely to become entrenched in his position. Unless the attackers are able to physically annihilate all of their opponents, as the Catholic church did with Christian heretics, the dissenting opinions are likely to resurface and outlive the critics. One such famous case still lives with us, namely, the dispute between the schools of Shammai and Hillel. In tractate Shabbat (1:4) the Mishnah laconically reports that eighteen decrees were decided by the school of Shammai on one day, by the rule of the majority:
ואלו מן ההלכות שאמרו בעליית חנניה בן חזקיה בן גוריון כשעלו לבקרו
נמנו ורבו בית שמאי על בית הלל וי"ח דברים גזרו בו ביום
This innocent statement seems to report of a pleasant legal process, in which the final determination depended on majority, but Talmud Yerushalmi provides some details which were omitted by the Mishnah, thus spoiling that image:
תנא רבי יהושע אונייא: תלמידי בית שמאי עמדו להן מלמטה, והיו הורגין בתלמידי בית הלל
תני ששה מהן עלו והשאר עמדו עליהן בחרבות וברמחים
Rabbi Yehoshua Onaya said: the disciples of Shammai stood [at the door] downstairs, and would kill the disciples of Hillel [who tried to enter the hall].
It was taught: six of them were able to get in, but the rest were blocked by swords and spears.
The school of Shammai might have achieved a temporary victory, but it is well known that the ideology and rulings of the school of Hillel eventually prevailed. The Talmud (Eruvin 13:2) provides an explanation:
מפני מה זכו בית הלל לקבוע הלכה כמותן - מפני שנוחין ועלובין היו
Why did the disciples of Hillel have the merit that their Halakha prevailed? Because they were pleasant and humble...
The insight of the Talmud is still valid today. Before criticizing others for their religious behavior, opinions, or rulings, let us be willing to hear and ask questions, study the circumstances and consequences, and, if we decide to disagree, do it agreeably. This is the only way for you to guarantee that your path in Judaism and way of life will continue to exist in the future.
Rabbi Haim Ovadia
