At the rally in Bnei Brak last week, Rabbi Yitzchok
Koledetzky read
a message from HaRav Aharon Leib Steinman, that HaRav
Steinman requested
be publicized as widely as possible, since he believes that
it is
the key to all the troubles that are afflicting us.
"We must emphasize and strengthen our efforts to make sholom
and
to try with all our powers to prevent machlokes and
fights.
In every case that there are two sides, if each side insists
on its
position and is not ready to compromise, it lights a great
fire of
machlokes and creates and awesome and terrible
chilul
Hashem, Hashem yishmerenu, and this causes all of the
troubles
Rachmono litzlan.
"In his Shemiras Haloshon (chapter 15) the Chofetz
Chaim
says: `If there is machlokes in a house, it will
eventually
be destroyed. If there is machlokes in a beis
knesses,
it will eventually disband, and even more, it will be
desolate. If
there is machlokes in a city, there will be bloodshed
in that
city. Know that it is true; as long as there is peace in the
earthly
family, there is peace in the Heavenly family."
"In Chapter 2, the Chofetz Chaim wrote, `When one speaks
loshon
hora, it arouses a ruach ro'oh temei'oh that is
named "Sichsucha."
This goes up and causes, through the loshon hora,
death, sword
and killing in the world, Rachmono litzlan.'
"One has to learn from the traits of Aharon Hakohen
a"h,
to love peace and to pursue peace. He used to forfeit his
dignity
and even to lower himself in order to make peace among
people. We
find similarly in the Torah, that even the Holy Name that is
written
in holiness and purity is erased and blotted out in the water
in order
to make peace between a man and his wife, so how much more
must we
work on our character traits and defer to each other in order
to prevent
machlokes and fights and to maximize peace in Yisroel.
In
this merit may no more catastrophe he heard of in our
camp."
HaRav Steinman believes that these insights are truly
important and
crucial to our situation, and he specifically asked us to be
sure
to publish them.
