Fostering Civil Discourse: Why Makhloket Still Matters

For three years Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagreed. These said: The halakha is in accordance with our opinion, and these said: The halakha is in accordance with our opinion. Ultimately, a Divine Voice emerged and proclaimed: Both these and those are the words of the living God. However, the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Beit Hillel. (Babylonian Talmud, Eruvin 13b)

Every dispute that is for the sake of Heaven, will in the end endure … Which is the controversy that is for the sake of Heaven? Such was the controversy of Hillel and Shammai. (Mishnah Avot 5:17) 

In a moment of deep polarization across the United States, in Israel, and globally, the ability to engage one another with respect has become not only rare, but urgently necessary. We are living through a time when disagreement often escalates into suspicion, hostility, violence, and moral dismissal. And yet, Jewish educators also know the next generation can learn to do better. Jewish education can play a direct role in shaping a future of civil discourse from a place of genuine curiosity.

One approach that has made a profound impact in my school, and one that any Jewish day school or educational organization can adopt, is the Makhloket Matters framework, developed by the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. Its foundational claim is simple but transformative: Jewish tradition models constructive disagreement as natural, sacred, and necessary for the pursuit of truth.

From the debates of Hillel and Shammai to the layered commentaries of the Talmud, our tradition does not shy away from conflict, rather, it elevates makhloket l’shem shamayim, “disagreement for the sake of heaven,” as an ideal. Makhloket Matters harnesses this heritage, integrating classical text learning with insights from social psychology to cultivate what it calls a “constructive-disagreement mindset.”

In practice, this means teaching students how to argue ideas without attacking people, to be aware of their intentions, to remain open to being wrong, and to recognize that multiple truths can coexist. When woven into a school’s culture, as I have seen at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School (CESJDS), through faculty training, student learning, shared language, and visible reminders, these principles become more than a curriculum. They become a way of being in community. A culture that is counter to the harsh, dismissive, and vulgar climate we see among political leaders and activities across the ideological spectrum in the United States, Israel, and around the world.

At CESJDS, we have seen students use this language spontaneously, pausing to reflect on what drives their viewpoint or acknowledging when a discussion has drifted from the values of l’shem shamayim. When students study biblical and rabbinic disagreements and then examine modern dilemmas through the same lens, they begin to see conflict not as threat, but as opportunity.

Just as important, Makhloket Matters integrates naturally with social-emotional learning. Empathy, self-awareness, and relationship skills are not add-ons but essential tools for navigating disagreement with dignity.

At a time when polarization threatens to erode communal bonds, Jewish day schools have a unique opportunity, and responsibility, to model a different path. Our texts, our traditions, and our deep commitment to multiple perspectives give us centuries-old wisdom that speaks powerfully to contemporary challenges.

I invite educators across Jewish schools to join this work, each school in its own way. Teaching our students how to disagree may be one of the most important contributions we can make to the future of our communities, our countries, and our people.