29 Jun KALEV AND YEHOSHUA TRUSTED IN HASHEM
Someone told
the Sfas Emes
zt’l that he has a
lot of debt. The
Sfas Emes told
him, “Pay your
debts to
Hashem, and you will be able to pay
back your debts to your fellow man.”
“Are you implying that I have to do
teshuvah and pay back my debts to
Hashem?” the man asked. The Sfas
Emes replied, “I was referring to the
, debts that are stated in the
tefillah,
- –
, For that is the debt of
all creation: to praise and to thank
Hashem…’ for all the kindness He
performs for us. Thank Hashem for
everything you have, and you will
have your salvation, and you will be
able to pay back your debts.” As the
Tiferes Shlomo (Vayeira) explains
the pasuk - -‘
1:107), Tehillim( - , if
you praise Hashem for His
kindness, His kindness will endure
forever, and you will continue
receiving Hashem’s kindness.
Similarly, it states (ibid. ‘
,( 8:107″
,Thank Hashem for His kindness,
and for the wonders He does for
people.” implies that Hashem
did one chesed for him. is
in plural form, which means that
Hashem did a lot of kindness to
him. The Shlah the and) ‘
) Chida (Devarim
Achadim, 32:2) explain -‘
if you thank Hashem for one
chesed that He did for you, will
Hashem, do
many more.1 The Veitzener Rav
zt’l explained the words (from the
brachah before Shemonah
- (Esrei
” ,The beloved ones give song
and praise to Hashem.” The word
can be read backward and
forwards (see Baal HaTurim
Shemos 30:12). This hints that if
we praise Hashem, Hashem will
praise us. We can also explain that
if we praise Hashem for all the
good things Hashem gives us,
Hashem will provide us with more.
, it will come back to us even
more. Korach was from the most
respected people in the nation. He
was a Levi, and he carried the
aron. But he focused on what
he didn’t have. If he had
recognized Hashem’s kindness
and praised Hashem, Hashem
would bestow even more
kindness on him. But he
focused on what he lacked, and
that was the root of his
machlokes.
The Severity of Machlokes
The Shlah Hakadosh writes,
“We do not need to discuss the
severity of machlokes, because
there are many sefarim that
discuss it at length. But take
this rule with you: The sin of
machlokes is worse than
avodah zorah…” The Shevet
Mussar (37:22) states that the
manna fell almost every day in
the desert. It even fell on the
day that bnei Yisroel made the
egel. But the manna didn’t fall
on the day Korach made a
machlokes, because
machlokes is worse than
avodah zarah. The Midrash
(Yalkut Shimoni 218) states:
“[Nearly] everyone in Achav’s
generation was an idol
worshiper, yet they won all
their wars. This is because they
didn’t speak lashon hara.
While, in David HaMelech’s
generation, even young
children knew
T o r a h … b u t
they went to
war and lost
because there
was lashon
hara.” The
Shlah (ibid.)
quotes this
Midrash as a
source that machlokes and lashon
hara are worse than avodah zarah.
The Afrakasta d’Anya (165) tells
that the community of Kempna
hired Shimon to be their chazan.
Reb Yosef Shmuel zt’l, the Rav of
Kempna, vehemently opposed this
choice. He shouted, “How can
Shimon be our chazan? He is a baal
aveirah!” Some sided with the Rav,
while others wanted to hire
Shimon. The Kempa community
was split into two. Reb Yosef
Shmuel sent a letter to Reb Yosef
of Posen, seeking his counsel. The
rav of Posen wrote back, “A tzelem
[cross] in the Beis HaMikdosh is
preferred over a machlokes in klal
Yisrael.” We are surprised when we
read that machlokes is worse than
avodah zarah. What could be worse
than avodah zarah? We need to
recognize the severity of
machlokes. Also, in this world,
there is nothing worse than
machlokes. The Rambam wrote the
following letter to his son: “Don’t
contaminate your soul with
machlokes, which destroys body,
soul, and money. I saw families
perish, cities destroyed,
communities disintegrate, and
respected people disgraced, all
because of machlokes. The nevi’im
discuss how bad machlokes is, and
the chachamim added more ideas,
and they haven’t yet reached its
ultimate evil. Therefore, hate
machlokes; run away from it; and
keep away from all its friends, lest
you perish.” Reb Chaim Palagi zt’l
writes, “Since my youth I have seen
several times that any man or
woman, family, country, or city
that was involved in a machlokes,
both sides didn’t come out clean.
They were smitten on their bodies
and their money, rachmanah
litzlan. Someone who has wisdom
will think about this and be
mevater…”