LeShem Shamayim

Mahloket [dispute] has been part of the human experience since time immemorial. Upon departure from the Garden of Eden the first mahloket arose between Cain and Abel – a conflict that ultimately led to bloodshed. Ever since, the phenomenon of mahloket has been a fact of life… The state of mahloket nowadays is lamentable. Debates on the internet are aggressive, even violent, seemingly governed solely by the law of the jungle. A terrible litany of personal attacks, lies, distortions, slander, invasion of privacy, and an overall lack of civility abound… We are facing a critical threat to humanity in general, and to the State of Israel, the Jewish nation, and the Torah in particular.

After years of exploring the topic of mahloket – recognizing its importance, its benefits, and its destructive potential – Rabbi Yuval Cherlow presents LeShem Shamayim, an ambitious and groundbreaking work on the ethics of public discourse. Drawing upon both the culture of debate embodied by generations of Jewish Sages and upon principles of postmodernism, Rabbi Cherlow has written a comprehensive code of ethics for conducting fair, productive discourse.