Shalom Rabbi Good morning, this Sunday – something I would like to tell you.

Hello Rabbi

I just want to say thank you!

Thank you for the fact that one of the things I learned from you and really internalized was how discussions should be conducted.

How to formulate an argument, what background noise should be avoided, what is the main point and what is the point of an intellectual, ideological, and academic discussion, and so on.

If you remember, when I studied with you at the BA kollel, we had many arguments and there was no agreement between us on many things, and my general tendency was towards the more conservative side.

But with all that, the way of discussion that I saw with you always made me feel that it was not utopian and that it was really possible to conduct a sharp discussion with maximum relevance and with a correct way of reasoning that allows me to understand the opposing side fairly, and one that gives me a taste for further discussion and clarification.

Why am I remembering this now?

Because I’ve been a member of a Facebook discussion group for a while now.

Quite a few members participate in it, as the group is intended, at least by definition, for all shades of the religious public, but there is a clear and prominent representation of the “Jerusalem” liberal wing.

Posts about “gender” and feminism issues are frequently in the news, especially from the liberal wing, and the responses are accordingly full of praise.

But what?

When I and others from the other side of the fence post about the issue from a conservative perspective, and at least I can testify that I properly reason and detail my position and do not spout slogans, I am simply amazed by the emotional and explosive reactions, sometimes on a truly personal and “talkbackist” level.

People are unable to hold a discussion, unable to address the arguments, and they simply explode like in a brawl between vendors in the market.

And these are intelligent people, which puts things in a much stranger light.

When I see this strange behavior, I remember our debates in Kollel classes and the discussions on your website between you and the commenters, and I tell myself that I was lucky to have studied with you and learned from you what a real debate is.

So this is an opportunity to say thank you and express appreciation for that.

This is an important life lesson that I learned from you, and good luck to you!

Regards