Rabbi Yoel Pinto: “Distance yourselves from disputes – only then can you draw closer to G-d”

In a lecture held last night in the city of Ashkelon, Rabbi Yoel Pinto – son and successor of the Admor Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto – spoke about the importance of avoiding disputes and strife. According to him, the connection between a person and G-d begins with the peace a person maintains with others.

“There are Jews whose entire spiritual merit, all they have in life, is that they are descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” Rabbi Pinto said. “That alone is a great merit. That alone is something significant. It is what preserves our foundation.”

He explained that this spiritual root does not disappear, even when a person strays from the path. “What allows a person, who may have committed serious transgressions or who has distanced themselves entirely from G-d, to still have the Divine Presence dwell within them on some level?” he asked.

Yet, this connection, he emphasized, must be nurtured – not solely through the observance of commandments, but also through a basic human key: peace. “What grants a person this merit?” he asked rhetorically, and answered: “That a person lives in peace with the people of Israel. Even if someone commits every transgression, even if someone has no connection whatsoever to G-d – what still preserves a link between them and the Divine? That a person is careful in matters between man and fellow man, that they strive for peace with the people of Israel, that they act with love toward their fellow Jews – when one is careful about these things, that’s what maintains a connection with G-d.”

Rabbi Yoel Pinto concluded: “The relationship with G-d begins with love of Israel, with the social covenant – not just with halachic precision. That is the path to connection.”