Controversy creative, controversy destructive

(17) Every argument that is for [the sake of] heaven's name, it is destined to endure. But if it is not for [the sake of] heaven's name -- it is not destined to endure. What is [an example of an argument] for [the sake of] heaven's name? The argument of Hillel and Shammai. What is [an example of an argument] not for [the sake of] heaven's name? The argument of Korach and all of his congregation.

The Sages taught in a baraita: A person should always be patient like Hillel and not impatient like Shammai. The Gemara related: There was an incident involving two people who wagered with each other and said: Anyone who will go and aggravate Hillel to the point that he reprimands him, will take four-hundred zuz. One of them said: I will aggravate him. That day that he chose to bother Hillel was Shabbat eve, and Hillel was washing the hair on his head. He went and passed the entrance to Hillel’s house and in a demeaning manner said: Who here is Hillel, who here is Hillel? Hillel wrapped himself in a dignified garment and went out to greet him. He said to him: My son, what do you seek? He said to him: I have a question to ask. Hillel said to him: Ask, my son, ask. The man asked him: Why are the heads of Babylonians oval? He was alluding to and attempting to insult Hillel, who was Babylonian. He said to him: My son, you have asked a significant question. The reason is because they do not have clever midwives. They do not know how to shape the child’s head at birth. That man went and waited one hour, a short while, returned to look for Hillel, and said: Who here is Hillel, who here is Hillel? Again, Hillel wrapped himself and went out to greet him. Hillel said to him: My son, what do you seek? The man said to him: I have a question to ask. He said to him: Ask, my son, ask. The man asked: Why are the eyes of the residents of Tadmor bleary [terutot]? Hillel said to him: My son, you have asked a significant question. The reason is because they live among the sands and the sand gets into their eyes. Once again the man went, waited one hour, returned, and said: Who here is Hillel, who here is Hillel? Again, he, Hillel, wrapped himself and went out to greet him. He said to him: My son, what do you seek? He said to him: I have a question to ask. He said to him: Ask, my son, ask. The man asked: Why do Africans have wide feet? Hillel said to him: You have asked a significant question. The reason is because they live in marshlands and their feet widened to enable them to walk through those swampy areas. That man said to him: I have many more questions to ask, but I am afraid lest you get angry. Hillel wrapped himself and sat before him, and he said to him: All of the questions that you have to ask, ask them. The man got angry and said to him: Are you Hillel whom they call the Nasi of Israel? He said to him: Yes. He said to him: If it is you, then may there not be many like you in Israel. Hillel said to him: My son, for what reason do you say this? The man said to him: Because I lost four hundred zuz because of you. Hillel said to him: Be vigilant of your spirit and avoid situations of this sort. Hillel is worthy of having you lose four hundred zuz and another four hundred zuz on his account, and Hillel will not get upset. The Sages taught: There was an incident involving one gentile who came before Shammai. The gentile said to Shammai: How many Torahs do you have? He said to him: Two, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. The gentile said to him: With regard to the Written Torah, I believe you, but with regard to the Oral Torah, I do not believe you. Convert me on condition that you will teach me only the Written Torah. Shammai scolded him and cast him out with reprimand. The same gentile came before Hillel, who converted him and began teaching him Torah. On the first day, he showed him the letters of the alphabet and said to him: Alef, bet, gimmel, dalet. The next day he reversed the order of the letters and told him that an alef is a tav and so on. The convert said to him: But yesterday you did not tell me that. Hillel said to him: You see that it is impossible to learn what is written without relying on an oral tradition. Didn’t you rely on me? Therefore, you should also rely on me with regard to the matter of the Oral Torah, and accept the interpretations that it contains. There was another incident involving one gentile who came before Shammai and said to Shammai: Convert me on condition that you teach me the entire Torah while I am standing on one foot. Shammai pushed him away with the builder’s cubit in his hand. This was a common measuring stick and Shammai was a builder by trade. The same gentile came before Hillel. He converted him and said to him: That which is hateful to you do not do to another; that is the entire Torah, and the rest is its interpretation. Go study. There was another incident involving one gentile who was passing behind the study hall and heard the voice of a teacher who was teaching Torah to his students and saying the verse: “And these are the garments which they shall make: A breastplate, and an efod, and a robe, and a tunic of checkered work, a mitre, and a girdle” (Exodus 28:4). The gentile said: These garments, for whom are they designated? The students said to him: For the High Priest. The gentile said to himself: I will go and convert so that they will install me as High Priest. He came before Shammai and said to him: Convert me on condition that you install me as High Priest. Shammai pushed him with the builder’s cubit in his hand. He came before Hillel; he converted him. Hillel said to him, to the convert: Is it not the way of the world that only one who knows the protocols [takhsisei] of royalty is appointed king? Go and learn the royal protocols by engaging in Torah study. He went and read the Bible. When he reached the verse which says: “And the common man that draws near shall be put to death” (Numbers 1:51), the convert said to Hillel: With regard to whom is the verse speaking? Hillel said to him: Even with regard to David, king of Israel. The convert reasoned an a fortiori inference himself: If the Jewish people are called God’s children, and due to the love that God loved them he called them: “Israel is My son, My firstborn” (Exodus 4:22), and nevertheless it is written about them: And the common man that draws near shall be put to death; a mere convert who came without merit, with nothing more than his staff and traveling bag, all the more so that this applies to him, as well. The convert came before Shammai and told him that he retracts his demand to appoint him High Priest, saying: Am I at all worthy to be High Priest? Is it not written in the Torah: And the common man that draws near shall be put to death? He came before Hillel and said to him: Hillel the patient, may blessings rest upon your head as you brought me under the wings of the Divine Presence. The Gemara relates: Eventually, the three converts gathered together in one place, and they said: Shammai’s impatience sought to drive us from the world; Hillel’s patience brought us beneath the wings of the Divine Presence.

5. God said, "let there be a firmament in the water, etc." Here in detail is the secret of the separation between upper and lower waters in the mystery of the left. Here was created controversy, in the mystery of the left. Until now, it was the mystery of the right. Here it is the mystery of the left, and therefore controversy increased between this and the right.

The right is the completion of everything, and therefore we write with the right because all completion relies on the right. When the left was aroused, controversy was aroused. With that controversy, the fire of anger was strengthened and hell came out of that controversy. Hell is aroused and clings to the left.

what are the right/left?

when do we have these instincts in ourselves?

can you think of a time 1 or the other was required of you?

do peace & arguing work together or are they at odds?

which is more comfortable for you?

Why does arguing lead to hell?

can you think of contemporary examples of controversy leading to hellishness?

6. Moses' wisdom: he looked into this and paid attention to the work of creation. In the work of creation there was a controversy between left and right, and in that controversy where the left arose, hell came out and clinged to it. The middle column, which is the third day, arose in between them, and separated/explained the controversy, and agreed to both sides. And hell descended below. And the left was incluided in the right, and there was peace among everything.

what wisdom did he gain from looking at the world?

what insttincts are represented by the right and left? what is the middle column? what are these in our lives?

what allowed hell to descend? what does that look like in human experience

7. In this manner was the controversy of Korach and Aaron, the left against the right. Moses looked at the work of creation. He said, it is appropriate for me to separate/explain the controversy between the right and left. He tried to take in both of their viewpoints. The left did not want, and Korach strengthened in his power. He said, "hell is certainly in the strength of this controversy--the left needs to cleave and be incorporated in the right!" He did not want to cleave above and be incorporated in the Right. He will definitely descend below in the strength of his anger.

why is aaron the right side & korach the left side? Are you more like aaron or korach when we argue?

What do they mean by hell?

What would it look like for the left/Korach to cleave above?

8. This is why Korach did not want Moses to resolve this controversy. Because it was not for the sake of heaven, and he didn't care about supernal honor, and he contradicted [weakened] creation. When Moses saw he contradicted creation and was pushed outside, then Moses got very angry.

what does it mean to argue "for the sake of heaven" vs not? How could Moses tell Korach was not this? What is a real like example of "argument not for the sake of heaven"? What are the criteria we can use to distinguish the 2?

9. Moses became angry that he contradicted him and did not resolve the controversy; very much because he contradicted the work of creation. Korah contradicted everything above and below, as it is written, "when they agitated against God" (Num 26:9) above and below. Because of this he cleaved to that which was suited to him.

How did Korah destroy/contradict upper and lower things & creation? How do we do this?

2. A controversy which is repaired in the supernal pattern and ascends and does not descend, and stays on the straight path, this is the controversy of Shammai & Hillel. God explained them and reconciled them. This was a controversy for the sake of heaven. Heaven explained the controversy, and because of this, it [the world?] stands. This was like the work of creation. Korach contradicted everything in creation. It was an argument against heaven, and he wanted to contradict the words of the Torah. He certainly cleaved to hell, therefore it cleaved to him.

In what sense did God reconcile the controversy of Hillel & Shammai? How was their controversy more organic/reflective of the way of nature & creation?

Why can Shammai/Hillel's controversy establish the world? Have you seen constructive controversies?

3. This mystery is in the Book of Man. When darkness aroused, it aroused in its strength, and Hell was made by it and cleaved to that controversy. Once the anger and strength subsided, a different type of controversy arose, a controversy of love. There were two controversies. one at the beginning and one at the end. This is the way of the righteous: they begin hardened and they end gently. Korah was the beginning of the controversy in anger and strength and cleaved to hell. Shammai. the end of the controversy, when anger was gentle, needed to arouse the controversy of love and to be reconciled by Heaven.

where do you see this dynamic around you/in your life?

why is darkness identified with anger?

what does a controversy of love look like?

do you experience anger this way? Does God?

4. This is the secret of "let there be a firmament in the waters that will divide." This primal controversy, the arousal of anger and strength, wanted to divide, and Hell was aroused until the anger and strength cooled. Then, "God made the firmament:" the conflict of love and endearment was aroused, and the establishment of the world. The controversy of Hillel and Shammai is in this secret. Oral Torah ascends with love toward the written Torah, and they are completely established.

what is the difference between written and oral torah? How are they brought together?

5. Separation [Havdalah] is certainly with the left [hand]. It is written here "separation:" "let it separate," and "it separated," and it is written "isn't it enough for you that He separated"? (Num 16) And it is written, "at that time he separated the tribe of Levi" (Dt 6) There is no separation except on the second day, in the left place. If you say that "certainly division is on the second day, why did he separate Levi which is the third [child]?" Separation should have been with Shimon, who was the second [child]! The answer is: even though Levi was the third, in Jacob's way of thinking he was the second, and anyway it was on the second day. Everything was on the straight path, on the complete path as is appropriate.

6. Havdalah at the end of Shabbat, between those [forces] that have power on weekdays and Shabbat. When Shabbat departs, One side of the evil eye ascends from Hell that wants to rule when Israel says "establish the work of our hands." (Ps 90:17) It leaves that level wich is called Sheol, and wants to intermingle in Jewish seed and rule over the Jews.

7. The Jews do their deed with Willow and wine and say Havdalah, and separate from it. That side descends, and ascends to its place in Sheol, Korach's place, and supports him there, as it says "they and everything they possessed descended alive to Sheol." (Num 19) They don't descend there until the Jews make a separation (havdalah) from them, as it is written, "Separate from this congregation" (Num 19).

When we make havdalah, what are we separating ourselves from?

8. Havdalah is on the second [or: can be said on Tuesday], which is dwelling of the the left, and the anger and strength that the left arose in controversy before it settled into gentleness, and hell was created by it. Then were created all those angels that aggravate their master above and fire consumes them and they burn. And all the others who are cancelled and not established and are destroyed in fire. Like this was Korach below. Everything is on this pattern.