Pursue Justice Update

Pursue Justice will be hosting a Yom Kippur Afternoon Study Session*: “Jewish Lessons for Respectful Conversations in Challenging Times”

As Rabbi Sacks wrote: “In Judaism there is something holy about argument.” Jewish texts are written arguments. For example, the standard edition of the Babylonian Talmud has the text surrounded by the often conflicting views of Rashi and the Tosafists. Argumentation and disagreement are hallmarks of Jewish tradition. As the old saying goes: two Jews, three opinions.

Come to the Pursue Justice Yom Kippur Afternoon Study Session on Monday, September 25 to discuss the Jewish culture of constructive conflict and healthy disagreements. As the 9 Adar project writes, “In our ancient texts, it is called machloket l’shem shemayim (disagreements for the sake of Heaven). It means arguing the issues while respecting and maintaining good relationships with the other side, making sure that your personal motivation is to come to the best solution and not just to win, admitting when you are wrong, and acknowledging that both sides might be right.

Approximately 2,000 years ago on the 9th of Adar, two major ideological schools of thought, Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai, allowed their disagreements to degrade into terrible conflict.” Today, that tradition motivates us to highlight the original culture of healthy and constructive conflict. An argument for the sake of heaven is one in pursuit of truth. An argument not for the sake of heaven is one in pursuit of victory.

Rabbi Sacks wrote: “The Sages, in short, were articulating a principled form of what we would now call conflict resolution… When you learn to listen to views different from your own, realizing that they are not threatening but enlarging, then you have discovered the life-changing idea of argument for the sake of heaven.” Come join us for some discussion on Yom Kippur afternoon.

*Stay tuned for more information about Yom Kippur Afternoon Study Sessions, including time and location information.