Page 4 - HaMizrachi Tisha B'av 5782 USA

Senseless

Rabbi Doron
Hatred
Perez

Cause and Cure

ow is it possible to be serving G-d was authentic, while all This was the causeless hatred that led
genuinely kind to someone the others were suspected of pervert- to destruction.
and to hate them at the same ing the Torah and G-d’s will. They loved
H time? How is it possible to and cared for those who shared their Sons of light and sons of darkness
learn Torah and fulfill mitzvot, yet philosophy and traditions, but rejected
somehow harbor feelings of hatred those who did not. How do disagreements deteriorate into
for others? Remarkably, the Talmud such deep hatred?
discusses this very point regarding the
generation of the destruction of the The Second Temple era War Scroll,
Second Temple: found near the Dead Sea in the caves
of Qumran, suggests an answer. The
“During the Second Temple period The people showed endless text, likely written by the Essenes,
the people occupied themselves with kindness to members of their describes its followers as “the sons of
Torah, mitzvot and loving kindness. light” and all others – including fellow
Why, then, was the Temple destroyed? own factions, but scorned and Jews – as “the sons of darkness”.
Because they acted with sinat chinam – hated those whose values and
senseless hatred” (Yoma 9b). beliefs threatened their own. Language like this changes the rules
of discourse. When we use words like
Indeed, the generation of the churban
(destruction) is described by the Sages Prior to the destruction, sectarianism these, we are no longer debating views
as one occupied with Torah learning, reigned supreme. The nation divided or ideas, but rather delegitimizing
mitzvot and loving kindness. How itself into many distinct sects – the the other as a person. These phrases
could such a lofty generation also be Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots cause a debate of ideas to devolve into
guilty of causeless hatred? and Sicarii – and even more sub-fac- vicious ad hominem attacks against
The Netziv of Volozhin explains: “As a tions within these sects. The people other people. It’s no longer about right
result of the senseless hatred in their showed endless kindness to members and wrong, but about you and me. All
hearts that one harbored for the other, of their own factions, but scorned and who think and act like me are “good”
they suspected all those who did not hated those whose values and beliefs and bring spiritual light and morality
follow their path as a G-d-fearing threatened their own. They saw the to the world, while all who disagree
Jew of being a Sadducee and a here- world in black and white; there was no with me are “bad” and immoral, the
tic” (HaAmek Davar, Introduction to middle road. It was a zero-sum game cause of spiritual darkness. When I am
Bereishit). of ideological intolerance. The hatred absolutely right and you are absolutely
The Netziv suggests that the genera- and infighting in Jerusalem was so wrong, when the other is totally dis-
tion of the churban showed loving kind- disastrous on the eve of destruction qualified and considered part of “the
ness to their own communities, but not that Josephus described the society dark side”, we are treading danger-
to other communities. They believed as “a great body torn in pieces” (The ously close to the abyss of senseless
that only their community’s way of Jewish War, Book 5:1). hatred.

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