2821 —מרירות על חלוקת מגרש בכפר חב"ד והימנעות ממחלוקת

B"H, 20 Tammuz, 5714.

Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In response to your letter—without a date of writing—in which you write about the division that took place in the village by means of a lottery, and you are bitter that your lot resulted in an unsuitable parcel. As a result, you complain about the village administration and those who conducted the lottery, suspecting them of not treating you properly, etc., etc.

Surely you know what our Sages of blessed memory said (Kiddushin 70b): a Torah scholar who objects after the fact is not believed. If before the lottery there was room to discuss how the division should be done, after the fact I do not see any place for this—especially since, as you yourself write, you have a personal stake in the matter. All the more so there is absolutely no place to stir up dispute over this issue. Who can say to cancel the entire lottery and thereby cause a dispute—G‑d forbid—the end of which is baseless hatred, etc.? If even outside of Eretz Yisrael one must be careful about all this, how much more so in the Land where "the eyes of Hashem your G‑d are upon it from the beginning of the year to year's end," and where you traveled not out of necessity but by free choice—that is, by your own good will you took upon yourself responsibility to live in the palace of the King. Even with minimal contemplation it is easy to know that one must be meticulous in all matters—especially since your calculations are made with added emotional excitement. It seems that over these years spent in Eretz HaKodesh Tuvah you have already seen that when hearts become divided or someone grabs from another—the grabbers gained nothing; on the contrary.

The conclusion from all of the above: if peacefully and pleasantly you can exchange your lot for another without causing any commotion or even division of hearts, etc., perhaps it is worthwhile to try for this. But if this would lead to what is said: "He who releases water initiates strife," then it should not be done at all. The One Who sustains and provides for all has already made His conduct known: "The Holy One Blessed be He found no vessel that holds blessing except for peace." To elaborate further would be unnecessary.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that after a communal decision like a lottery has been made, one should avoid complaints and disputes—even if personally dissatisfied—and instead seek peace and unity as these are vessels for blessing.