by Rabbi Avi Billet
In Pirkei Avos 5:17 (or 19 or 20 – different volumes have different breakdowns) we are introduced to the merits of a Machlokes (dispute) that is for the sake of heaven versus a Machlokes which is not for the sake of heaven. A dispute over understanding of Torah, such as between Hillel and Shammai, is viewed as a dispute which endures, for it has merit. Its purpose is a higher calling – getting to the truth (see Meiri). The other kind of dispute which is considered meritless is the “Machlokes of Korach and his congregation.”
Many note that the dispute should be presented as one between Korach and Moshe! After all, against whom did Korach address his complaints and direct his confrontation?
The simple answer is that the real dispute was among the people who seemed to be united, but who weren’t really united. What kept them together as a group was a seeming common cause, and an argument of “all the nation is holy,” which carries the Orwellian implication that “some are more holy than others” if you’d just give the holy position to the “correct” “some” so we would know where we all stand.
In his “Ethics From Sinai,” Irving Bunem suggested that firstly, Moshe was not engaging in Machlokes. When someone picks a fight with you just to pick a fight, and you don’t have any skin in the game (Moshe hadn’t appointed anyone – those appointments came from God) then it’s hard to put Korach and Moshe on the same level as, say Hillel and Shammai whose “disputes” were aimed at truth and were accompanied by love for one another. Secondly, Moshe’s involvement was to defend God’s honor, making his contribution to the episode aimed towards “the sake of heaven.” (see Tosafos Yom Tov)
He also quotes R Elimelech of Lizhensk (as does the Sfas Emes) who suggested that when a group is involved in dispute it’s pretty clear from their harmony that they are acting for the sake of heaven. But when 250 people demonstrate that each one wants to be the Kohen Gadol (and is willing to risk his life bringing ketores for that chance), it demonstrates that there was no harmony among them, for each sought the same position.
Sfas Emes quotes the Imrei Emes that part of the issue Korach’s group faced was resolving their internal disputes, for which they should have turned to Moshe for help. Since Korach could not even consider turning to Moshe for help, “The dispute of Korach and his congregation” is demonstratively not for the sake of heaven, and therefore does not endure.
Other commentaries on the Mishnah explain the Mishnah with subtle differences:
Tiferes Yisrael: Nothing is more blinding than claiming everything in the name of God (the congregation is holy, God is with them, why are you appointed over the congregation of God?) when your actions do not follow the Godliness you proclaim…
Rabbi Ovadiah MiBartenura: Defines a Machlokes that is not for the sake of heaven as being when the goal is to rule over others, to achieve victory. Since that was not a goal for Moshe, who cared not for his honor, nor for being a leader (see his arguments at the Burning Bush) and was doing the job because God had given him the job, there was no dispute between him and Korach. It was all one-sided.
Meleches Shlomo (R Shlomo Adani): Korach’s goal was to create two factions in his group. That the Leviim replaced the firstborns was obvious. But he also wanted to discredit Aharon so that the argument over who would replace the kohanim would also fall in his hands. If Aharon was deemed to be innocent of guilt at the Golden Calf, the firstborns could also be argued to be innocent, thus reversing the appointment of the Leviim in their stead. So Korach really had two groups intent on using that argument to suggest that some are worthy of being Kohanim, and some are worthy of being Leviim. He therefore brought firstborns anticipating that Moshe would say they are unworthy on account of the Golden Calf, hoping to then throw that argument back against Aharon. Obviously, none of this is for the sake of heaven. And, Rabbi Adani concludes, this demonstrates that Moshe is not the disputant in Korach’s case – it is really faction against faction within his group, all of whom want positions to which they are unentitled. Aharon’s appointment, in either case, came from God, and not from Moshe.
Machlokes, for the sake of Machlokes, and not for the sake of seeking truth, is simply destructive. People who thrive on Machlokes which is not for the sake of heaven should be avoided. The following tale is meant to highlight that message, and should not be taken to imply anything in any particular community (unless the circumstances are the same and therefore relevant).
The Kozhnitzer Maggid was known to be a pursuer of peace. It happened that a terrible fight broke out amongst the Jews living in a city close to Kozhnitz, which caused some kind of “breakaway” in the community. [Note: There are different kinds of so-called breakaways. Some come from a place of need/necessity, to expand a community to further borders. Some come from anger and a spirit of meanness. It is obvious that the case near Kozhnitz was of the latter variety.]
The Maggid gathered the leaders of the rabble-rousers, the hotheads of one of the fighting groups, and told them the following:
“There are three cardinal sins in the Torah – such as idolatry, murder, etc… The Torah spells out the devastating punishments for these sins. But there is never a warning in the Torah to separate ourselves from those who commit these terrible sins. Only one time do we find a warning in the Torah to, ‘Separate from this group of people,’ and that is specifically when it comes to the story of Korach and his congregation. All they wanted to do, as Onkelos translates, is to make a fight, to stoke the coals of Machlokes. People who want to foment Machlokes (fights) in the community – from them we are warned and obligated to separate.”
The Kozhnitzer Maggid was well-aware of the Mishnah in Avos. Whether he invoked the notion of their being “for the sake of heaven” is unknown to me, but it seems obvious that in his mind there was nothing honorable about what these fighting individuals were doing, as they were simply following the path of Korach.
Were we to push “Machlokes” into the realm of actual military fighting, we can use the same argument about the IDF versus its enemies. The IDF wants peace and does not want to fight. Their fight is for the sake of heaven, to allow everyone in the region the chance to live in peace. Unfortunately and tragically, sometimes fighting is necessary, with the goal being to end fighting forever. Their adversaries would love the chance to do October 7 again. Their fight is not “l’shem shamayim.” It is only to cause further death and destruction.
Based on the Mishnah, the IDF will endure, and the enemies of Israel will not. Amen, so may it be.
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