כל מחלוקת שהיא לשם שמים סופה להתקיים ושאינה לשם שמים אין סופה להתקיים איזו היא מחלוקת שהיא לשם שמים זו מחלוקת הלל ושמאי ושאינה לשם זו מחלוקת קורח ועדתו
Pirkei Avot 5
Any dispute which is for the sake of Heaven will in the end endure, and any which is not for the sake of Heaven will in the end not endure. What is a dispute for the sake of Heaven? This is the sort of dispute between Hillel and Shammai. And what is one which is not for the sake of Heaven? It is the dispute of Korach and all his party.
... , אע"פ שנחלקו בית שמאי כנגד בית הלל בצרות
The Tosefta, Yevamot Ch.1
Even though the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel disputed concerning the co-wives, concerning sisters, concerning the married woman, concerning a superannuated writ of divorce, concerning the one who betroths a woman with something of the value of a perutah, and concerning the one who divorces his wife and spends a night with her in an inn, the House of Shammai did not refrain from taking wives among the women of the House of Hillel, and the House of Hillel from the House of Shammai (M Yeb. 1:41)
But they behaved toward one another truthfully, and there was peace between them.
It is said, They loved truth and peace (Zech. 8:19)
According to Rav and R’ Yonah, in a dispute which is not for the sake of heaven, the disputants will perish as did Korach.
Spinning it to our reality –
As Jewish educators, do we have a “korach” agenda, or one that is in line with Hillel and Shammai? Is our goal to keep in line with our school/congregation/movement, or is it to teach “leshem shamaim?”
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2 comments:
I don't think this is such a clear question to address, because at the root of every movement is an attempt at seeking some sort of truth -- be it a truth vis-a-vis halachah, or a truth pertaining to human nature, or to social responsibilities, etc. Since each movement would define "LeShem Shamayim" differently, the comparison seems hard to examine. Ultimately, Hillel and Shamai probably understood "LeShem Shamayim" in the same way.
To be a memorial to the children of Israel... that he be not like Korach and his company (Parashat Korach 17:5)
Anyone who engages in divisiveness transgresses a Divine prohibition, as it is written, "That he be not as Korach and his company."
(Talmud, Sanhedrin 110a)
AZS is correct by stating that this is not a clear question. However, if we agree that at the root of every movement is an attempt at seeking some sort of truth…., by forcing its agenda, (truth) ie., Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, etc., on its students, are we acting in accordance to Korach and his company? Are we engaging in divineness and that transgresses a Divine prohibition?
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