Can disagreements be healthy?

Judaism celebrates diversity of opinion and disagreement, but how we disagree with one another matters. When disagreeing, we need to seek truth, not victory. It matters less about who is sharper or smarter, and more about who can see the bigger picture and acknowledge multiple sides of an issue. Our tradition teaches us to follow in the footsteps of Beit Hillel and engage in machloket l’shem shamayim (disagreement for the sake of Heaven). Beit Hillel was not interested in merely proving their existing views right; rather, they sought a complete understanding of the issue and perspectives different from their own. Good conflict resolution requires humility and the ability to honor different sides of an issue.

An expanded curriculum is available for this topic.