Shemirat HaLashon שמירת הלשון

One must also take care not to be among the abettors of machloketh so that he not be punished among them when their appointed time comes, as Chazal have stated (Makkoth 5b): "Scripture has punished the abettors of transgressors as the transgressors themselves." And in Midrash Parshath Korach we find: "Come and see how severe is machloketh. For if one abets machloketh, the Holy One Blessed be He destroys his remembrance, as it is written (Numbers 16:35): 'And a fire went forth from the L-rd and consumed the hundred and fifty men, the presenters of the incense.'" And, in Sanhedrin 110a: "Rav said: 'All who persist in machloketh transgress a negative commandment, viz. (Numbers 17:5): "And he shall not be like Korach and like his congregation."' R. Assi said: 'He deserves to contract tzara'ath.'" (And see above, Chapter VI, what is written in the name of Sefer Hakaneh, that sometimes the Holy One Blessed be He transforms the punishment of tzara'ath to poverty, so that he becomes dependent upon others.)

And the man of heart must reflect always upon what Chazal have said in Midrash Rabbah Parshath Emor 27 on the verse (Koheleth 3:15): "And G-d seeks [i.e., stands up for] the pursued." R. Huna said in the name of R. Yosef: "G-d always 'seeks' the pursued." You find a tzaddik pursuing a tzaddik — "And G-d seeks the pursued"; a tzaddik pursuing an evildoer — "And G-d seeks the pursued." R. Yehudah said in the name of R. Yossi b. Nahora: "The Holy One Blessed be He always claims the blood of the pursued from the pursuers." R. Elazar said in the name of R. Yossi b. Zimra: "It is also so with sacrifices. The Holy One Blessed be He said: 'An ox flees a lion; a goat flees a leopard; a lamb flees a wolf — Do not sacrifice before Me [animals] from the pursuers, but from the fleers.'" And if so, one must give thought to distancing himself from abetting machloketh, from taking one side over another, since, in the final analysis the Holy One Blessed be He claims their blood from his hand. And instead of emerging "the victor" and gaining honor thereby, in the end he will be seen in his shame, being punished by either tzara'ath or poverty. But if one guards himself from machloketh, he is honored by men, as it is written (Mishlei 20:3): "A man's honor is abstention from a quarrel." And Chazal have said: "Now if a man is honored by suppressing a quarrel which is his own, how much more so [is he to be censured] for intervening [and taking sides] in a quarrel which is not his own. And thus is it written (Mishlei 26:17): 'As one who seizes a dog's ears is he who grows wrathful over a quarrel that is not his.'"

And even if a party to the machloketh is his relative, even his father, even so he should take great care not to accord him the honor of joining him, even if his father commands him to do so (as ruled in Yoreh Deah 240:6, that if one's father tells him to transgress even a Rabbinical enactment, he is not to be heeded; for both son and father are obligated to honor the L-rd — how much more so in respect to the grave sin of machloketh!)

As we find with the sons of Korach, that because they were not drawn after their father, even though this caused him great shame, they escaped his fate. As we find in Yalkut Parshath Korach: "This is as Scripture writes (Psalms 1:1): 'Happy is the man' — the sons of Korach; 'who did not walk in the counsel of the wicked' — who did not walk in the counsel of their father, as it is written (Numbers 16:26): 'Depart now from the tents of these wicked men'; 'and in the way of sinners they did not stand,' as it is written (Numbers 17:3): 'the censers of these sinners.'" And, in Yalkut: "What merit was there 'in the hands' of the sons of Korach that they were rescued [from his punishment]? When they were sitting with Korach, their father, they saw Moses and lowered their faces to the ground, saying: "If we stand up for Moses our teacher, we will be spurning our father, whom we have been commanded to honor. And if we do not stand, it is written (Vayikra 19:32): 'Before the hoary head shall you rise' — Better that we stand before Moses our teacher, even though we are thereby spurning our father.'" At that time, they moved their hearts to repentance. About them David said (Psalms 45:2): 'My heart has stirred with a good thing.'" From this we learn that if one is not drawn after his father's counsel in his machloketh, he will not be ensnared in his net.

And even if one sees that the din is with his father, he should see to it to quiet the quarrel and not to strengthen it against the opposing party. For aside from the mitzvah of promoting peace, he should reflect that he might be mistaken in his assumption because of the love implanted in a man's heart for his father, whom he loves as himself. As we find in Sifrei (Devarim 13:7): "'Your friend who is as your soul' — this is your father." And a man cannot perceive himself as being in the wrong.

And all this, when he is powerless to protest and to quiet the quarrel. But if the son finds favor with his father and is able to quiet the quarrel and keeps silent, he is punished because of this. As we find in Tanna d'bei Eliyahu 21: "And a man should not look on when he sees his parents engaging in idle talk [(i.e., lashon hara and the like, and, how much more so, machloketh, which subsumes all)], and remain silent. And if he does, both he and they do not live out their days and years. And, likewise, it is a mitzvah for every man to make peace between the sides. And this [(making peace)] is one of those things whose fruits a man eats in this world, with the principal remaining for the world to come, as we find in Peah 1. And even if he sees that the din is not in accordance with one party and that they deserve to be punished for the machloketh, but he is able [to suppress it], even so, he should make every effort to make peace between the sides. And he should not be lax in doing so even if he is the most eminent man in Israel, as we find (Numbers 16:25): "And Moses arose and went to Dathan and Aviram [to make peace]." And Chazal have said (Sanhedrin 110a): "From here we derive that it is forbidden to persist in machloketh." And in the Midrash we find: "Because Moses went to the [tent] entrance of Dathan and Aviram, he merited rescuing four tzaddikim from the entrance of Gehinnom: the three sons of Korach and On ben Peleth." And it is written (Psalms 34:15): "Seek peace and pursue it," concerning which Chazal have said: "Seek it for your loved one and pursue it with your foe. Seek it in your place and pursue it in other places. Seek it with your body and pursue it with your possessions. Seek it for yourself and pursue it for others. Seek it today and pursue it tomorrow." The intent of the Midrash in "and pursue it tomorrow" is: Let one not despair of making peace, but let him pursue it today and also tomorrow and also the day after until he attains it. For even the stoutest of cart ropes, if it is constantly worn down, will weaken and snap in the end. Here, too. Even if one does not succeed the first or second time, let him not abandon this holy trait [of pursuing peace]. And even if his efforts do not succeed at all with the parties to the machloketh themselves, the trait of "triumphing" having overpowered them and their eyes having been blinded to the truth, still, this will deter the "outsiders," who are not parties in the machloketh, but who have been drawn into it by the evil counsel of the parties involved, and will save them from bitter punishment, as in the instance of Moses our teacher, may peace be upon him.