Rebuke as an Act of Love

(18) הוכח תוכיח, rebuke him for what he has done and as a result you will restore harmonious relations.

(3) And Abraham rebuked Avimelech: R. Yosi ben R. Hanina said: Rebuke leads to love, as it says, rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Such indeed is R. Yosi ben Hanina’s view, for he said: Love unaccompanied by rebuke is not love. Resh Lakish said: Rebuke leads to peace; hence, ‘And Abrhaman reproved Avimelech’. Such is his view, for he said: Peace unaccompanied by rebuke is not peace.

(6) Greater is Torah than priesthood and kingship, for kingship is obtained with thirty levels, and priesthood with twenty-four, and Torah is obtained with forty-eight things. And these are them: learning, listening of the ear, preparation of speech, understanding of the heart, intellect of the heart, reverence, awe, humility, happiness, purity, service of sages, care of friends, debate of the students, clarification, scripture, mishnah, minimization of merchandise, minimization of worldly occupation, minimization of pleasure, minimization of sleep, minimization of conversation, minimization of laughter, patience, generosity, trust of the sages, acceptance of afflictions, knowing one's place, gladness in one's portion, erection of a fence to one's words, lack of self-aggrandizement, lovableness, love of God, love of the creatures, love of the righteous, love of the upright, love of rebuke, distancing from honor, lack of arrogance in learning, lack of joy in issuing legal decisions, lifting of a burden with one's friend, judging him with the benefit of the doubt, placing him with the truth, placing him with peace, deliberation in study, questioning and responding, hearing and adding, learning in order to teach and learning in order to act, making one's master wiser, focusing one's teaching, saying [a thing] in the name of the one who said it; for you learned that one who says something in the name of the one who said it brings redemption to the world, as it says (Esther 2:22): "Esther told the king in Mordekhai’s name."

R. Zutra bar Tuvya said in the name of Rav, With ten things the world was created: With wisdom and with understanding and with knowledge and with strength and with rebuke and with might and with righteousness and with judgment and with mercy and with compassion. With wisdom and with understanding, as it is written, (Proverbs 3:19) "The Lord with wisdom founded the earth; with understanding He established the heavens." With knowledge, as it is written, (Proverbs 3:20) "With His knowledge the depths were broken up." With strength and might, as it is written, (Psalms 65:7) "With His strength He establishes the mountains, being girded about with might." With rebuke, as it is written, (Job 26:11) "The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astonished at His rebuke." With righteousness and judgment, as it is written, (Psalms 89:15) "Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of Your throne." With mercy and compassion, as it is written, (Psalms 25:6) "Remember Your compassion, O Lord, and Your mercies, for they are eternal." And R. Yehudah said in the name of Rav, At the time that the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, it went expanding on like two weaves of woof and warp, until the Holy One, blessed be He, rebuked it and brought it to a standstill, as it is said, (Job 26:11) "The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astonished at his rebuke." And this is what Resh Lakish said, What is it that is written, (Genesis 35:11), "I am God Shaddai"? I am He Who said to the world, Enough ("dai"). Resh Lakish said, At the time that the Holy One, blessed be He, created the sea, it went expanding on, until the Holy One, blessed be He, rebuked it and made it dry, as it is said, (Nahum 1:4) "He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers."