Promoting Jewish Unity

Question

I want to ask the esteemed rabbonim of the Yated about the following idea. I got a list of 4,000 synagogues in the USA. I want to send them a prayer that, with the help of other great rabbonim, was composed to promote unity amongst the Jewish people.

Do the rabbonim think that this is a good idea, and what advice can the rabbonim give to help this initiative work?

Thank you.Name withheld by request 

Rav Auerbach 

Kol hakavod for this initiative to try and unite the Jewish people. We see how critical Jewish unity is from the fact that we daven every day, “Vekabetzeinu yachad mei’arba kanfos ha’aretz.” In order for the geulah to take place, there needs to be achdus, unity, amongst the Jewish people. When Moshiach comes, there will only be one Torah without any divisions at all. There will be no more confusion, and it will be as clear as daylight that the Jews are meant to be unified.

Achieving this pristine state of unity is extremely difficult, because the nation of Klal Yisroel is a stiff-necked people. Most Jews are entrenched in their personal views and are unable to see and understand the perspective of their fellow Jews that is needed to achieve this state of unity. Since every Jew is different and has divergent viewpoints, a miracle is seemingly required to unite us as one.

There is one ray of hope—the daily recitation of Shema Yisroel. This mitzvah has the ability to bring complete unity to the Jewish people.

If each Jew is focused on his own interests, there is no hope for unity, since we are so stubborn and our views are so divergent. However, if every Jew is able to refocus his outlook solely on Hashem’s ultimate will, then this will automatically unite us. While this sounds like a lofty task, in truth we try and accomplish this every single day when we accept the yoke of Heaven when we recite Shema Yisroel. When every Jew has no other interest than to perform Hashem’s will, then all of the trivial issues that Jews fight about will fall to the wayside, and together, under the banner of the yoke of Heaven, all of the Jewish people will be united.

Furthermore, just like parents want their children to live in harmony together, so does the Almighty want His children to live together peacefully. In this vein, the Torah teaches us, “Vayehi bishurun melech behisaseif roshei am yachad shivtei Yisroel”—Hashem will be recognized as King over Yeshurun, the Jewish people, when all of the twelve tribes are united.

I give you a brocha from the depths of my heart that your endeavor should bear fruit, that the Jewish people should be united, and that Moshiach should come quickly.

Rav Moshe Sternbuch 

This is a great initiative that you are carrying out, and be’ezras Hashem, it will bear fruit. In order to strengthen your project, I would like to tell you what I said 11 years ago when the Har Nof Massacre took place.

Chazal tell us that the quintessential machlokes that is not l’sheim Shomayim is the machlokes of Korach and his eidah. At first glance, it is difficult to understand why Korach’s machlokes was not l’sheim Shomayim. Korach was 100 percent convinced that he was correct and that Moshe Rabbeinu was wrong. For this reason, Korach was willing to put his life on the line and undergo the test of whose incense would be accepted. Korach must have been sure that he would be chosen to be the kohein gadol. Otherwise, he would not have been willing to submit himself to a test that put his life at risk. There are other proofs that Korach was an extremely holy and sincere person. Although Korach and his followers were swallowed up, their machtos were preserved and made into a cover for the mizbei’ach.

The Medrash Tanchuma (Korach 12) adds that Korach had ruach hakodesh. The Arizal teaches that Korach will be the kohein gadol in the Third Bais Hamikdosh. His greatness is hinted to in the last letters of the words “Tzaddik katomor yifroch” (Tehillim 92:13), which spell out the name Korach. This indicates that Korach’s greatness will become apparent at the End of Days. We must ask, therefore, after all these proofs of his righteousness, how can Chazal label Korach’s dispute with Moshe Rabbeinu the ultimate machlokes that is not l’sheim Shomayim?

It is well-known that Hashem loathes machlokes. As such, anyone who engages in a dispute with another religious Jew is doing so with the understanding that even if he is correct, he is causing great anguish to the Borei Olam. It is incumbent on the baal machlokes to make every effort to pull away from his dispute, even if he is convinced that he is 100 percent correct. Someone who does not try his very best to end a machlokes in which he is involved—even if he is in fact correct—has, in essence, demonstrated that he is not acting l’sheim Shomayim.

Thus, we find that although Hashem had instructed Moshe Rabbeinu to appoint Aharon as the kohein gadol, Moshe still made every effort to end this dispute. He sent messengers to Korach to try to make peace, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Korach and his followers did not take any steps to end their dispute, and if anything, Korach only widened the gap between them. His refusal to make peace ignited Divine anger, and as a result, eventually the earth opened up and swallowed him and all his followers.

May you see the greatest blessing from your efforts, and may we see the final redemption quickly.

Rav Shlomo Zafrani 

Jewish unity is one of the biggest issues holding back the geulah. This is a really important endeavor and I give you my brocha for it to be successful.