Why Is Sinas Chinam Considered Such a Terrible Sin — And How Does It Delay the Geulah?
Sinas chinam—baseless hatred among Jews—is not just another aveirah. It is the core spiritual illness that destroyed the Beis HaMikdash and keeps us in galus to this day. The Charedi Torah worldview sees sinas chinam as the single greatest obstacle to the geulah. And the antidote—ahavas Yisrael—is not optional. It is the foundation of Hashem’s plan for the Jewish People.
1. The Gemara’s Clear Declaration: Sinas Chinam Destroyed the Second Beis HaMikdash
The Gemara in Yoma 9b famously teaches:
"מקדש שני... מפני מה חרב? מפני שהיתה בו שנאת חינם."
“The Second Temple… why was it destroyed? Because of sinas chinam (baseless hatred).”
— Yoma 9b¹
This wasn’t a physical or political failure. It wasn’t the Romans. The Torah world understands that the cause of destruction is always spiritual. And sinas chinam is the root cause of all fragmentation in Klal Yisrael.
Rav Elchonon Wasserman zt”l explained:
"לא היתה החורבן אלא תוצאה ישירה של שנאה פנימית בלבבות."
“The destruction was nothing more than the direct result of internal hatred in our hearts.”
— Kovetz Maamarim, “Why Was the Temple Destroyed?”²
2. The Geulah Is Delayed When We Remain Divided
The Midrash in Tanchuma, Nitzavim 1 says:
"כשישראל מאוחדים, אפילו עובדים עבודה זרה, מנצחים; וכשאינם באחדות, נופלים."
“When Yisrael are united—even if they serve idols—they succeed. But when they are divided, they fall.”
— Midrash Tanchuma, Nitzavim 1³
Unity is not a slogan. It is a condition for survival and redemption. When we harbor sinas chinam—when we label, judge, mock, or scorn fellow Jews—we are spiritually pushing off the geulah.
The Chofetz Chaim zt”l famously said:
"If we were destroyed by sinas chinam, we will be rebuilt only through ahavas chinam."
— Chofetz Chaim Al HaTorah, Parshas Kedoshim⁴
And Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman zt”l would warn repeatedly: “Every harsh word spoken against another Jew is like swinging an axe at the Beis HaMikdash.”
3. What Is Sinas Chinam Really?
People assume it means hatred with no reason at all. But the Maharal of Prague clarifies:
"שנאת חינם – אפילו אם יש טענה כלשהי, אם אין הצדקה לפי התורה, זהו שנאת חינם."
“Sinas chinam means even if one has a claim—if it is not justified by Torah standards, it is baseless.”
— Netzach Yisrael, Chapter 4⁵
That means hatred based on ideology, politics, personal hurt, or communal disagreement—when not grounded in halachah or l’shem Shamayim—is also sinas chinam.
In our generation, where disagreements over Zionism, army service, religious observance, and education run deep, the danger of sinas chinam is enormous.
4. Even the Best Mitzvos Can’t Replace Love for Fellow Jews
The Beis Yosef asks: Why is the punishment for sinas chinam so severe?
The answer lies in the fact that it undermines the unity of Klal Yisrael, which is the vehicle for Hashem’s Presence.
The Ramban writes in Parshas Kedoshim:
"ואהבת לרעך כמוך — כלל גדול בתורה."
“‘Love your fellow as yourself’—this is a great principle of the Torah.”
— Ramban on Vayikra 19:18⁶
If the entire Torah is about uniting with Hashem, then hating His children is the ultimate contradiction of that goal.
5. How to Fix It: Ahavas Chinam and Humility
The Chazon Ish zt”l was known to say that even when we must separate from wrong ideologies, we must never stop loving the Jew behind them. Not tolerance of sin—but love of the person.
Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l said:
“To truly love another Jew, one must train themselves to see the good in every soul.”
— Igros Moshe, Orach Chaim, vol. 4, siman 26⁷
This doesn’t mean we can’t disagree. It means that the disagreement must not become hate.
Conclusion: If We Want Geulah, We Must Love Each Other
Sinas chinam destroyed our Bayis. It exiles the Shechinah. And it pushes away Moshiach.
The geulah will not come because we solve every ideological disagreement. It will come when we cry out to Hashem together, care for each other, and remember that we are one nation—Am Echad, b’lev echad.
"כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה."
“All of Israel are responsible for one another.” — Shavuos 39a⁸
That is the vessel that can hold the Shechinah.
Sources
¹ Yoma 9b
² Rav Elchonon Wasserman, Kovetz Maamarim, “Why Was the Temple Destroyed?”
³ Midrash Tanchuma, Nitzavim 1
⁴ Chofetz Chaim al HaTorah, Vayikra, Kedoshim
⁵ Maharal, Netzach Yisrael, Chapter 4
⁶ Ramban, commentary to Vayikra 19:18
⁷ Igros Moshe, Orach Chaim, vol. 4, siman 26
⁸ Shavuos 39a