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Torah Wellsprings

Solutions

  • Korach
  • 5782
  • English
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We will discuss some practical ways to avoid machlokes.

One solution is that whenever you feel you should start a machlokes, push it off until tomorrow. By then, you may see things differently. When Korach and his followers argued with Moshe, Moshe replied, ԀԀԀ ԀԀԀԀ Ԁ' ԀԀ ԀԀԀ ԀԀ (16:5). Rashi writes that Moshe pushed off the machlokes for the next day because "maybe [by then] they will change their minds."

The Pele Yoetz writes, ԀԀԀԀԀԀ ԀԀԀ ԀԀԀԀ ԀԀԀԀ ԀԀԀ ԀԀԀԀԀԀ, "Silence during anger is like water to fire – it extinguishes it."

Another solution for machlokes is to end it as soon as it begins. The quicker you make amends, the better. It is written, ԀԀԀԀ ԀԀԀ ԀԀԀԀԀ ԀԀԀԀ, "Like water streaming through a breach, is the beginning of a dispute" (Mishlei 17:14).

The Shlah HaKadosh teaches that this counsel is found in the letters of ԀԀԀԀԀ. The first letter, the 'Ԁ, has a small opening on the bottom, hinting at a minor breach in the peace... Finally, we reach the letter 'Ԁ, which stands securely upon its two feet, implying that the fight is firmly established and now very difficult to uproot.

Another counsel to avoid machlokes is to be mevater and let the other party have their way. The Rambam (Dei'os 6:7) teaches, "It is proper that a person should be ԀԀԀԀ ԀԀ ԀԀԀԀԀԀ, to be mevater, when it comes to matters related to this world..."

A primary solution to avoid and stop machlokes is tefillah. It states ԀԀԀ ԀԀԀ ԀԀ ԀԀԀ "Korach's children didn’t die" (26:11). Rebbe Mendel of Riminov zt'l said that this can be translated as Korach's students never died because the approach of creating disputes has been passed down from generation to generation. The only solution is to pray that you never get caught in a machlokes.

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