Fighting for Heaven or Ourselves: Embracing Truth in Conflicts and Disagreements (Pirkei Avos)

What's the real test to see if you're fighting for the sake of heaven or simply for yourself? Are your disagreements for the greater good, or do they lead to endless conflict? In this inspiring episode, we discuss the teachings of Pirkei-Avos in Chapter 5 and dive into the dangers of convincing ourselves that our battles are all about the heavenly court when in reality, it's all about ourselves.

Join us as we explore the remarkable wisdom of Chacham Ovadiah in his book, Anaf Eit Avot, and examine the examples of Hillel and Shamai, two Torah scholars who fiercely debated but remained best friends, loving each other despite their disagreements. Learn how embracing the truth can bring people together rather than tearing them apart and how you can apply this wisdom to your own life, ensuring that your conflicts are genuinely for the sake of heaven.

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Transcript

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Tragically, this quip from the great starter, launcher and spreader of the Musur movement, the great side of the Gravi-sur-Al-Salaunter, has proven itself true way too many times before.

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In Chapter 5 of Pirkei-Avost, the Mishnah teaches us that any conflict that is for the sake of heaven will have eternal value.

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Komachlokas, any conflict she le'sheim shomayim, for the sake of heaven, so fall in his skyin', it will endure.

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And Revius-Sull says God forbid.

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So many times people convince themselves that I'm standing up for the heavenly court, i'm standing up for Hashem's honor, and ultimately they've tricked themselves and really it's all in it for themselves.

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But since they think they're doing it for the sake of Rukhani's and spirituality, they never give up the fight and all it does is ceaselessly knock heads with the other side and both people believe that they're righteous and all it does is just knock-schlep everyone down into the Yordei-Duma, the pit of death.

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And they always thought that they were doing it.

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L'sheim-shomayim, tragic.

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How do you know if one is really doing it, really arguing, really questioning for the sake of heaven or not?

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In general, perhaps our communities' futures hang in the balance of this question And I think my Chavrussa Eliyezer Ben Mordechai, who bought me this safe for Anaf Eit Avot, which is from Chakhamovazh at Yosef.

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It's remarkable how much Chakhamah is in this safe for explaining the Mishnahis beautifully, and I never knew how unbelievable of a clear and easy to read writer-author Chakhamovazh as the Chakhamovazh was.

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But listen to this.

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He says the Mishnah tells us the yard sign, the post of what it is to test yourself if you're really fighting for the sake of heaven.

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What is an example, says the Mishnah, of someone who's fighting for the sake of heaven?

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Why Hila-Lanshamah?

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Because the Gamarit tells us, says Chakhamovazh, that these two great Torah scholars who built Yeshivos of extraordinary proportions we still study Hila-Lanshamah's Torah today.

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There isn't a study hall in the world that doesn't speak their name at least once daily.

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And they fought vehemently and ferociously about Pshatna Gamara, the Gamarit tells us, in Kondushan they were best friends, they loved each other.

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At the end, nasu Oyavim Zah-Ezah, they loved each other.

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They just wanted the truth and ultimately, when that's the case, nobody loses.

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When you lose the argument because you just want the truth and you're in it, lashayn Shaman, that is the difference.

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If you lose an argument or you're fighting for something in your community and it either goes your way or it doesn't go your way, you go, give the other side a hug and you say, nasu Oyavim Zah-Ezah, we just wanted the truth and now nobody can lose.

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We're happy It doesn't get schlepped off in all this extracurricular, off the court stuff.

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I always love sports so much because you can have such intensity, such fight, such competition, but then the game's over, we're best friends, we're not between the white lines, let's hug it out.

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And the people that bring it off at this emotion outside the court, i was not excited about it.

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When you're fighting in the base of the match, it's because the shot matters, because the clarity in the halacha matters, and you're screaming and your face is red and you want shot, but you're wrong.

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So you got the truth, you didn't lose.

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You go give the other side a hug.

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You don't let it irk you and bother you and continue to have disagreements and conflicts.

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You can never see that person in the same line.

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You think you want to break away minion and you think you don't want another minion and this person is teaching Tyra the wrong way and I think we need to change the curriculum and I think we need to study like this and I don't like this rabbi.

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You're my chlaka, my chlaka, my chlaka.

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But when there's a decision made by holy people and now there's an answer this is what Tyra tells us to do then you go give the other side a hug and Nasu Oyavim Zah-Ezah like Hillel and Shamai and not, god forbid, like the rest of the disasters that happen and, ultimately, like Kyra and his terrible gang members.

Fighting for Heaven or Ourselves: Embracing Truth in Conflicts and Disagreements (Pirkei Avos)

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