Yoma 40

It’s one thing to disagree behind closed doors, it’s quite another to air out dirty laundry in public. When we rebuke we do it privately. When we debate we should also create safe spaces where our words will not be taken out of context and used against us outside of that space.

But, what happens when Jews disagree and we make it public for everyone to hear? Today’s daf provides a warning:

A baraita teaches: Rabbi Akiva’s students asked him: If the lot for God was drawn by the High Priest’s left hand, what is the halakha with regard to whether he may transfer the lot to his right hand?

He said to them: Do not give the heretics an opportunity to dominate.

Basically, Akiva is saying, we could debate this, but it will only give people who think the rabbinate is a bunch of hypocrites and that halakhah is subject to change fodder for their arguments.

This line could not be more pressing right now when Israel is losing a social media war in the united states over it’s reaction to violence from Hamas (not how this is being characterized at all).

Do I have criticism of Israeli leadership – you bet ya. Is now the time to air out our laundry? Not in my opinion.

We are seeing Akiva’s warning, “Do not give the heretics an opportunity to dominate” come to fruition.