"Do not place yourself with the wicked, to be and unrighteous witness" (Exodus 23:1)
The halachah is that witnesses are thoroughly examined by the court to determine their integrity and reliability
'Imagine having to appear as a witness before the heavenly tribunal. You must then subject yourselves to a meticulous scrutiny.'
Before making critical comments about another person, we would do well to consider whether we wish to bear testimony against them before the heavenly tribunal, and leave ourselves open to a fastidious scrutiny."
The above is from Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D., Living Each Day, p343
"He who strives to do good and kind deeds
Attains life, success, and honor" (Proverb 21:21)
"Seek good, not evil, that you may live" (Amos 5:14)
"...The scoundrel says in his heart, 'There is no G-d!' They [scoundrels] have acted corruptly and abominably [in their] action; there is no doer of good [among the scoundrels]" (Psalm 14:1-2)
"Seek the good in everyone, and reveal it, bring it forth." (Rav Nahman of Bratslav, Lekkute Moharan, p 279 as quoted in Joseph L. Baron, ed.)
"Who makes others do good transcends the doers" (Talmud Bavli, Bava Batra as quoted in Words of the Wise, Reuven Alcalay compiler)
Tanach - Psalms Chapter 145:
Great is the L-RD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.
I will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and of Your wondrous works.
And men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts; and I will declare Your greatness.
They shall utter the fame of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness.
The L-RD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of abundant loving kindness. The L-RD is good to all; and His mercies are over all His works.
All your works shall praise you, O L-RD; and your pious ones shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and talk of Your power; To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The L-RD upholds all who fall, and raises up all those who are bowed down.
The eyes of all wait upon You; and You give them their food in due season.
You open Your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The L-RD is righteous in all His ways, and gracious in all His works.
The L-RD is near to all those who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who awe Him; He also will hear their cry, and will save them.
The L-RD preserves all those who love Him; but all the wicked He will destroy.
My mouth shall speak the praise of the L-RD; and let all flesh bless His holy Name for ever and ever.
For the last 2 weeks, the quotes here have been about baseless hatred. This week I turn to the converse, love and unity...Alyza
"Behold how good it is, how pleasant, when brethren dwell in unity together!" (Psalms 133:1)
"If you take one nut out of the heap, all the others tumble down, so it is with Israel" (Song of Songs Rabbah, from Words of the Wise, Reuven Alcalay compiler)
"A bundle of reeds cannot be broken by a man; but, taken singly, even a child can break them." (Tanhuma as quoted in Words of the Wise, Reuven Alcalay compiler)
"Love your neighbor as yourself." (Leviticus 19:18)
And finally, as song from Yeedle's album Together:
Where has the Bais Hamikdosh gone?
I stand here all alone
How long am I to wait?
For all my children to come home?
A house of marble and of gold
Once stood here by my side
From far and wide all come to see
Its beauty and its pride
But Sinas Chinam brought it down
And left it so much pain
Now only Ahavas Yisrael
Can build it once again
--Chorus--
Together...Together
We stood by Har Sinai
My daughters and sons
Forever...Forever
We must stand together
Forever as one
"You shall not hate your brother in your heart" (Leviticus 19:17)
"Hatred stirs up quarrels; but love covers all sins." (Proverbs 10:12)
"But why was the second Sanctuary destroyed, seeing that in its time they were occupying themselves with Torah, [observance of] precepts, and the practice of charity? Because therein prevailed hatred without cause. That teaches you that groundless hatred is considered as of even gravity with the three sins of idolatry, immorality, and bloodshed together [which caused the First Temple to be destroyed]." (Talmud Bavli, Yoma 9b)
"The Second Temple was destroyed because of causeless hatred. Perhaps the Third will be rebuilt because of causless love." (Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, 1st Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, as quoted in Joseph Telushkin's Jewish Wisdom)
"Rabbi Yehoshua said: An evil eye, the evil inclination, and hatred of other people remove a person from the world. "(Mishnah, Pirke Avot 2:16 Art Scroll translation)
