Shemirat HaLashon שמירת הלשון

The sin of machloketh obtains even if one argues with another who is equal to him in status. How much more so, G-d forbid, if he argues with a Torah scholar, even if he is not his Rabbi. How much more so if he is his Rabbi, is his sin great and his wickedness redoubled. For it is well known that the way of men of machloketh is to shame by words those who oppose them. And the greatness of the punishment of one who shames a Torah scholar is well known from what is stated in Sanhedrin, Chapter Chelek, and is ruled in Yoreh Deah 234:6, that one who shames a Torah scholar is in the category of (Numbers 15:31): "For the word of the L-rd he has despised. That soul shall be utterly cut off; its sin is in it." And even in our day, if he be but fit to rule [on halachah] and toils in Torah, he is called a Torah scholar. And if one shames him, even in general matters, and even not in his presence, it is a grave sin and he is liable to nidui [excommunication] because of this (as we find in Yoreh Deah 246:7 and in the Shach section 68.) And there is also no cure for his illness, as we find in Shabbath 119b: "R. Yehudah said in the name of Rav: 'If one shames a Torah scholar, there is no cure for his illness.'" And the destruction of Jerusalem also is attributed to this sin, as we find there: "Jerusalem was destroyed only because Torah scholars were shamed there, as it is written (II Chronicles 26:16): 'And they shamed the angels of G-d [i.e., the Torah scholars], and scorned His words and mocked His prophets until the wrath of the L-rd rose against His people, without cure.'" They have also said (Berachoth 19a): "R. Yehudah b. Levi said: 'All who slander a Torah scholar after his death descend to Gehinnom.'"

And (Sanhedrin 101a): "R. Chisda said: 'If one argues against his Rabbi, it is as if he would argue against the Shechinah, viz. (Numbers 26:9) ["who strove against Moses and Aaron with the congregation of Korach] when they strove against the L-rd."' And R. Chamma b. Chanina said: "If one quarrels with his Rabbi it is as if he would quarrel with the Shechinah, viz. (Numbers 20:13): "They are the waters of Merivah (contention), whereby the children of Israel strove with the L-rd" [in striving with Moses].'" And, along the same lines: "R. Chaina b. Pappa said: 'If one rails against his Rabbi, it is as if he would rail against the Shechinah, etc.' … R. Avihu said: 'If one arraigns his Rabbi, it is as if he would arraign the Shechinah, etc.'" And the four levels that the Gemara mentions below are meant to apprise us that even thinking alone [against one's Rabbi] is also a great issur.

And how foolish are those people in whose eyes it is a light matter to argue with the Rabbi and the beth-din of the city and to shame them, not fearing the great punishment awaiting them for this in the world to come, as we have explained. And also in this world they will not escape sore judgment because of this. Come and see what we find in Midrash Rabbah, Parshath Pinchas on the verse [Vayikra 19:32]: "And you shall honor the face of the elder," (which refers to a Torah scholar), as we find in Kiddushin 32b: "What is the intent of 'And you shall honor'? That you not stand in his place, nor sit in his place, nor contradict his words, etc. For one who does not conduct himself thus with his Rabbi is called 'wicked' before the L-rd, and his learning is forgotten, and his years are shortened, and in the end he becomes impoverished. As it is written (Koheleth 8:13): 'And it shall not be well with the wicked one, and he shall not prolong days, like a shadow, because he does not fear G-d.'" Now this Midrash applies even if he does not fear him as he should. How much more so if he draws upon him machloketh from the men of his city, in which instance he will certainly be doubly punished.

And the man of machloketh is, indeed, to be wondered at. If another would hurt his son a little, even unintentionally, he would vent his wrath upon him. How much more so if he hurt him intentionally and caused him to be bedridden. Even if he recovered, he [the father] would publicize him as a cruel man and he would not be quiet until he had repaid him in kind, and in his heart he would bear him eternal hatred because of this. Yet when he himself brings all this suffering upon his sons because of his [shaming of Torah scholars] (even, possibly, to the point of their dying, G-d forbid, as we wrote above in Chapter XV in the name of the Midrash, that even infants at the breast may be punished because of this sin of their fathers [See also Tanna d'bei Eliyahu 21]) — he himself does not pity them at all! To the contrary, it is in keeping with his trait [of contentiousness] to hint to the men of his household to abet him in his machloketh. As we find with Dathan and Aviram, that they went out and stood in front of their tents — they, their wives, their sons, and their little ones, as Scripture says (Jeremiah 7:18): "The sons gather the wood and the fathers light the fire." This is only because the yetzer hara blinds his eyes and transforms all the holes and pits before him into a straight path.

Come again, my brother and I will show you the greatness of the power of the yetzer inherent in the trait of nitzachon ["triumph"]. For when one enters the abyss of machloketh, then, even if he sees with his own eyes that he is walking on a way of pitch darkness, leading to Gehinnom, still, he would rather go the way of Sheol than give up the machloketh. This is an inheritance to them [the men of machloketh] from their forefathers, Dathan and Aviram, the fathers of all the men of machloketh. And they themselves said so explicitly, as we find in Midrash Rabbah, Parshath Korach: "We would rather stick to our words than escape the din of Gehinnom." Therefore, my brother, have compassion on your soul and those of your sons and daughters, and keep yourself from machloketh.

And even if one has already entered the machloketh and it is difficult for him to separate from his other friends, still, he should attempt with all of his strength to rescue himself from them. As was done by On ben Peleth who, in the beginning, was of one mind with the men of the machloketh, as written in the Torah, and who, in the end, freed himself from them, as stated in Perek Chelek, Sanhedrin. And, therefore, he was not punished along with them. And he would not pay heed to the words of his yetzer and its claims that it would not befit him to stop in the middle and not consummate the triumph. For it is better that one be shamed in this world before a few individuals and not be shamed in the world to come before all of the heavenly assembly. And Chazal said (Eduyoth 5a): "Better that one be called a fool all of his days than be wicked for one moment before the L-rd."