In a recent lesson delivered in Miami, the Admor Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto addressed the disputes and conflicts that have multiplied among us. According to him, “Many quarrels – even they are about nothing,” said the Rabbi.
“We hear about quarrels between people that last for years, but when you look deeper – there’s really nothing to argue about. There’s nothing to be offended by.” Rabbi Pinto added that in most cases, it’s not about real injustice, but rather turbulent emotions that spiral out of control: “Most things are just internal impulses and emotions that take a person to places he shouldn’t be. A person destroys his own life, his family, collapses – all because he’s swept away by momentary feelings.”
However, Rabbi Pinto emphasized that there are also situations of real harm: “There are truly difficult, serious things. When someone does real harm to his fellow, when there are painful actions – it requires significant emotional strength to deal with.” But, according to him, in most cases it is not so: “One must understand that anger, insults, and quarrels – are not worth the price. It’s not worth destroying an entire life because of emotions.”
“One must strive to rise above the momentary emotion, to act with discretion, and avoid self- and family-destruction because of pride, insult, or anger. A person should not be in that place under any circumstances,” Rabbi Pinto concluded.
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel