Elul Thoughts

The month of Elul is a time of reflection and spiritual preparation leading into the High Holy Days. Each day, Reform clergy and educators from across North America share brief teachings and meditations—known as Elul Thoughts—to help inspire introspection, renewal, and growth. This year’s theme, Makhloket l'shem Shamayim (“argument for the sake of Heaven”), invites us to explore how meaningful dialogue can bring us...Read more...

There is a teaching about several verses that appear to be in dialogue between Eicha (Lamentations), which we read on Tisha B’av, and the first Haftarah of Comfort, read on the Shabbat immediately afterward (called Shabbat Nachamu, the Shabbat of Comfort). Where Eicha (1:9) proclaims, “There is no one to comfort Jerusalem,” the prophet Isaiah remarks (40:1), “Take comfort my people!” Eicha depicts the roads of Zion in mourning...Read more...

In a time when there is so much division in our society, disagreements with those we know and love are almost inevitable. Whether it is about Israel, politics, or something else, we are in a time of great change, and there will be — and should be — robust debate. The challenge is to keep our machloket “l’shem shamayim,” for the sake of Heaven, and not...Read more...

This summer, I’ve been blessed to step away from my usual congregational role and serve full-time as an intern at a local funeral home. It’s been one of the most intense and meaningful experiences of my career. As we enter the month of Elul—a time for reflection and return—I’ve been thinking about the phrase makhloket l’shem shamayim—a disagreement for the sake of Heaven.

Planning a funeral brings families...Read more...

I used to love to debate – to challenge and to be challenged. I loved examining issues from different angles, turning them over through verbal sparring, allowing them to influence, change, or sharpen my perspectives. But, in recent months, I find myself retreating from debate, afraid it will become a battle rather than a friendly parry.
Ours is a world of polarization and mistrust. Against this backdrop, I...Read more...

Throughout my life I have heard people say “but it's a machloket b'shem shamayim!” The mixture of English and Hebrew has spoken to me since I was small - the insider language of it all brings a comfort that the full translation, “but it’s an argument for the sake of heaven!” does not. I believe the power of these words arises from their history as much as the meaning of the words themselves. We bring along the baggage, the comfort,...Read more...

Sometimes the arguments, disagreements, and confusions are as important as the text itself because we are challenged to find a deeper connection to harder experiences. 

Cain killed Abel. Jacob wrestled the angel. Joseph was thrown into a pit. Abraham was forced to choose between faith and his son. Moses had to summon the courage to return to Egypt. The Torah reminds us: life...Read more...

When disagreeing over cultural parts of life, as one might do over sports, movies or comics, disagreeing for the sake of comradery, for the sake of learning from others’ opinions, or even for the sake of trying to convince them, may feel like fleeting fun. When disagreeing over life and death, morality, ethics and the future of the world, it is often difficult to overcome an “us versus them” mentality.

Machloket l'shem shamayim...Read more...

Different voices in the Torah show different perspectives on truth. 

For instance, one description of Yom Kippur focuses on Aaron, portraying the high priest as the one who atones for the whole nation. “Thus he shall purge [וְכִפֶּר] the Shrine of the impurities and transgressions of the Children of Israel, for all their sins” (Lev. 16:15-16). The people are absent from this ritual performed on their behalf; Aaron is...Read more...

This summer at Camp George I ran a program with my fellow faculty members with 11 and 12-year-olds about productive arguments. We use as the basis for our program the arguments of Hillel and Shamai, the most well known commentators in the Talmud who constantly disagreed.  The lesson was that while they might have not been able to agree on Jewish law, the Talmud records both their answers because their arguments were both valid: “ Eilu...Read more...

Before streaming music, before CDs, before cassettes, there was vinyl. Now, music lovers are embracing vinyl again.

No matter how high the sampling rate, reducing music to 1s and 0s can never preserve the richness of vinyl, because vinyl is analog. It doesn’t use bits and bytes, but instead the needle traces hills and valleys of sound. Sound from vinyl is never ON or OFF; it is a million variations and nuances per...Read more...

We live in a time of loud arguments. Social media rewards outrage. Cable news thrives on conflict. And, too often, disagreement becomes performance, something staged to signal loyalty, score points, or build a personal brand. That’s not disagreement for the sake of heaven. That’s disagreement for the sake of ego.
A makhloket l'shem shamayim—a disagreement for the sake of Heaven—is something else entirely. It’s not performative;...Read more...

This past year, I returned to school to pursue my Funeral Director’s license, a journey that has challenged and nourished me physically and spiritually. As Elul invites us to reflect and prepare for the New Year, I see deep connections between this season of introspection, Jewish ethics, and the sacred work of accompanying the dead.

Makhloket l'shem Shamayim, taught in Pirkei Avot (5:17), refers to disagreements rooted in humility...Read more...