Sin’as Chinam
Sin’as Chinam does not mean “baseless hatred”.
It means “pointless hatred”.
To explain:
My point is about holding grudges, even if the hatred initially had cause, perhaps even started out with a halachically appropriate one.
Should you still hold on to the hatred, because it has a basis, even though it serves no purpose?
I am arguing that it is still sin’as chinam, and still an expression of the sin that cost us the Second Commonwealth and its Temple.
This unfortunately leaves room for subjectivity. How do we convince a real flamer that the sin’ah is pointless?
Excellent. Even sinas reshoim is in order to preserve your own kedusha, to not see it as a defensible alternative, to recoil from it.
Tosafos, Pesachim 119b:
שר××” בו דבר ערוה – ו×× ×ª×מר דב×לו מצי×ות (ב”מ דף לב: וש×) ××ž×¨×™× ×Ÿ ×והב לפרוק ×•×©×•× × ×œ×˜×¢×•×Ÿ מצוה ×‘×©×•× × ×›×“×™ לכוף ×ת יצרו ×•×”×©×ª× ×ž×” כפיית יצר שייך כיון דמצוה ×œ×©× ×תו וי”ל כיון ×©×”×•× ×©×•× ×ו ×’× ×—×‘×™×¨×• ×©×•× × ×ותו דכתיב (משלי ×›×´×–:י״ט) ×›×ž×™× ×”×¤× ×™× ×œ×¤× ×™× ×›×Ÿ לב ×”××“× ×œ××“× ×•×‘×ין מתוך כך לידי ×©× ××” גמורה ושייך כפיית יצר: